2024 retention · District Court · 4th Judicial District
55 percentile · rank 23 of 52
composite 0100
50 percentile · rank 53 of 107
composite 0100
43 73rd percentile among peers · 72nd percentile statewide
14112
Composite index 57.37 among peers (51.71 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.10 of 4 · 35.58 percentile
2.303.80
3.17 of 4 · 41.35 percentile
2.273.80
100.00% 95.19 percentile
29.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 71.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.20median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.00median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.20median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Demeanor | 3.20median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Fairness | 3.00median 3.10 | 3.10 |
Commission: meets standards (5–0)
The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 5-0 with five absences that Judge Jill M. Brady MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
District Court Judge Brady currently presides over a docket that is 50% criminal and 50% domestic relations. All 10 attorneys and 20 of 28 non-attorneys who completed surveys rated her as meeting judicial performance standards. The Commission notes that the response rate to surveys throughout the State of Colorado is near or below 3% and thus not statistically valid. An expert in domestic relations (DR), Judge Brady confidently handles her own docket and serves as a resource to other judges in the most complicated DR cases. She issues oral rulings at the conclusion of DR hearings about 90% of the time. Colorado Court of Appeals judges also gave Judge Brady very high marks (3.8 out of 4.0), with one judge remarking that she prepares “very thoughtful and thorough orders that are well-reasoned and legally sound.” In her nine years on the bench, Judge Brady has been appealed approximately 30 times and her decisions have been affirmed approximately 80% of the time.
The Commission personally interviewed Judge Brady, observed her in Court, reviewed judicial performance data, several of her written orders, judicial performance survey results, and written comments from attorneys and non-attorneys. It also met with the Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial District and representatives of the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office. Judge Brady works very hard to issue orders in a timely manner and to manage her dockets efficiently, so matters do not languish in the court system. She has been described by many as “very smart,” “patient but in control,” “pleasant,” and “fair.” Others observe that she can be “a bit abrupt with attorneys and clients.” Since her last evaluation, Judge Brady has worked hard on her judicial temperament. Practitioners report that she has “rectified her demeanor issues of the past.” Judge Brady has made her financial disclosures and has no disciplinary history.
The Governor appointed Judge Brady to the District Court on July 1, 2015. Before her appointment, she was a child support and family law magistrate in El Paso County for about two years. Additional past work history includes working as a legal aid attorney in Colorado Springs; practicing antitrust, commercial and employment law; and completing a federal judicial clerkship. Judge Brady graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School. She currently serves by appointment of the Governor on the Judicial Discipline Commission and the Child Support Commission, extremely meaningful work that, according to one Court of Appeals judge, “substantially contributes to the improvement of the branch.” The Commission highly values Judge Brady.
2018 retention · District Court · 4th Judicial District
41 percentile · rank 31 of 52
composite 0100
42 percentile · rank 74 of 128
composite 0100
55 25th percentile among peers · 31st percentile statewide
29158
Composite index 40.38 among peers (43.23 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.39 of 4 · 22.12 percentile
2.963.81
3.37 of 4 · 24.04 percentile
2.913.86
93.00% 75.00 percentile
44.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.44
- Say “meets standards”
- 93.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.29
- Say “meets standards”
- 74.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.48median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.34median 3.43 | 3.43 | |
| Communications | 3.40median 3.58 | 3.58 | |
| Diligence | 3.37median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Demeanor | 3.35median 3.51 | 3.51 | |
| Fairness | 3.27median 3.59 | 3.59 |
Commission: meets standards (8–0)
The Fourth Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission unanimously (8-0) agrees that El Paso County District Judge Jill M. Brady MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Brady was appointed to the El Paso County District Court on July 1, 2015. Prior to her appointment, Judge Brady served as a magistrate in the Fourth Judicial District from 2013-2015, presiding over a domestic relations docket. Judge Brady graduated from the University of Michigan School of Law, with honors, in 2002, after which she worked for two years as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Marianne O. Battani of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. From 2004-2006, Judge Brady practiced antitrust and commercial litigation in Chicago, Illinois before moving to Colorado. Judge Brady practiced employment law in Denver for one year, and then moved to Colorado Springs where she was a staff attorney at Colorado Legal Services for five years before taking the bench. Judge Brady formed a Best Practices Team of judges, lawyers, mental health professionals and other community providers that meets monthly to discuss how to improve services for domestic relations litigants. This team is working to start a support group for teens whose parents are separating. Judge Brady recently completed five years of service on the Board of the Pikes Peak Justice and Pro Bono Project, an organization that works to provide free or low cost legal advice and representation to people who cannot afford it. She also makes periodic presentations to Court Appointed Special Advocates (“CASA”) on supervised parenting time in domestic relations and civil protection order cases.
The Commission personally interviewed Judge Brady, observed her in Court, and reviewed judicial performance data, several of her written opinions and orders, judicial performance survey results, and written comments from attorneys and non-attorneys. Judge Brady’s overall combined performance score for all categories of respondents (attorneys, non-attorneys, jurors, law enforcement, defendants, litigants, and witnesses) is 3.39 out of 4.00, with a combined 84% of survey respondents agreeing that Judge Brady meets judicial performance standards. Judge Brady’s District Court docket presently consists of 50% domestic relations and 50% criminal cases. She serves as the Domestic Relations Presiding Judge.
Judge Brady is widely considered to be fair and impartial, and an excellent case manager. Survey respondents praised her logical and thoughtful rulings as clear and easy to understand. The Commission concurred, finding that Judge Brady accurately applies the law and that her legal rulings are thoughtful and well-reasoned. The Commission concludes that Judge Brady is a hard-working accomplished judge who meets performance standards. She is well-qualified to continue as a District Court Judge.