2026 retention · District Court · 4th Judicial District
68 percentile · rank 21 of 65
composite 0100
68 percentile · rank 35 of 108
composite 0100
29 66th percentile among peers · 71st percentile statewide
1054
Composite index 66.92 among peers (63.12 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.40 of 4 · 76.15 percentile
2.103.80
3.40 of 4 · 75.38 percentile
2.073.82
85.00% 49.23 percentile
25.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 85.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 88.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.40median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.40median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.50median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.30median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Demeanor | 3.50median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 3.30median 3.10 | 3.10 |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | 3.80 | 3.70 | 3.60 | 3.70 | 3.30 | 3.50 |
| Responses | 25 | 57 | 54 | 26 | 23 | 20 |
Commission: meets standards (7–0)
The Commission on Judicial Performance agrees by vote of 7-0 (with one absence, two recusals) that Judge William B. Bain MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Bain was appointed to the Fourth Judicial District Court in 2011. He served as Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial District from 2017 to 2024. Currently Judge Bain presides over Criminal (50%) and Civil (50%) dockets.
As part of its evaluation of Judge Bain, the Commission reviewed Judge Bain’s self-evaluation, a sample of his written opinions, and the 2026 judicial performance survey results. Although the response rate to distributed surveys was relatively low, Judge Bain received an overall score of 3.4/4 from respondents. A survey of District Court Judges conducted by the Appellate Court Judges rated him at 3.6/4 overall, with a comment describing Judge Bain as a “superb judge in every respect.” The Commission observed Judge Bain in the courtroom and conducted a personal interview with him. The Commission also collected feedback on Judge Bain from the Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial District and representatives from the District Attorney’s and Public Defender’s Office. The District Attorney’s Office provided a positive assessment, describing Judge Bain as steady, thorough, and fair. One concern was raised regarding calendar management and its potential impact on speedy trial deadlines. Judge Bain responded that he has never missed a speedy trial deadline and emphasized that he manages his caseload with particular care considering speedy trial deadlines. He noted that attorney preparedness can at times create tension but, expressed a willingness to evaluate the concern and make improvements where appropriate.
Judge Bain is a sixth-generation Coloradan. Following his graduation from Middlebury College in Vermont, he taught High School English in Texas for three years before attending Cornell Law School in New York. Prior to his appointment to the Fourth Judicial Court, Judge Bain served 10 years as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office and three years as an assistant city attorney for the City of Colorado Springs practicing civil litigation. Judge Bain was the first Chief Judge in Colorado to resume jury trials following COVID pandemic restrictions. He was honored with the Ben S. Wendelken Award of Excellence from the El Paso County Bar Association in 2024 for his contributions to the legal system.
2020 retention · District Court · 4th Judicial District
92 percentile · rank 5 of 59
composite 0100
92 percentile · rank 8 of 100
composite 0100
25 18th percentile among peers · 28th percentile statewide
1488
Composite index 92.37 among peers (91.50 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.80 of 4 · 90.68 percentile
2.203.90
3.82 of 4 · 88.98 percentile
2.423.88
100.00% 97.46 percentile
39.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.80median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.80median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Diligence | 3.80median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.80median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 4.00median 4.00 | 4.00 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Fourth Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission unanimously (10-0) agrees that Judge William Bain MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Bain is the Chief Judge for the Fourth Judicial District. He was appointed to the bench on January 1, 2011. Judge Bain consistently scores above average when compared to all District Court Judges. One hundred percent of attorneys who responded to the 2020 Judicial Performance Survey said Judge Bain meets performance standards. Notable survey scores include 3.8 in Case Management (above the average of 3.4), Knowledge of the Law at 3.8 (above the average of 3.3), and 3.8 for Demeanor (above the average 3.5). Judge Bain also scored above average in Communications and Diligence. The Commission also looked at Judge Bain’s 2017 survey results and found he had nearly identical scores and scored above average in every category compared to other District Court Judges. The Commission found that Judge Bain shows self-awareness in his comments and written materials, and agreed his writing is excellent and thoughtful.
The Commission interviewed Judge Bain, observed him in Court, reviewed his self-evaluation, written opinions, judicial performance data, comments from attorneys and non-attorneys, and the judicial performance survey results from 2017 and 2020. It should be noted that a new methodology for the survey was used this year to which lower response rates may be attributed. This methodology affected all judges across the board and is not an explanation for individual results. The Commission also spoke with representatives of the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office.
Judge Bain’s docket consists of 30% civil, 20% domestic Relations, and 50% criminal cases. Judge Bain graduated from Middlebury College in 1990 and after a short stint as an English teacher he went to Cornell Law School in 1996. After law school, Judge Bain worked in private practice in Denver, as a Deputy District Attorney in the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and for the City of Colorado Springs.