2024 retention · Court of Appeals · Statewide
2nd of 8 (too few for a percentile)
composite 0100
93 percentile · rank 7 of 107
composite 0100
50 4th most of 8 among peers · 84th percentile statewide
4272
Composite index 83.33 among peers (89.25 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.80 of 4
3.503.80
3.60 of 4
2.953.75
94.00%
75.00%95.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 94.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 3.70median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Writing | 3.50median 3.40 | 3.40 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The State Commission on Judicial Performance finds that Judge Stephanie Dunn MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, by a vote of 10–0 with one recusal. Colorado’s statutory judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Dunn has been on the Colorado Court of Appeals since June 2012 and this is her 2nd time standing for retention as a Court of Appeals Judge. The Commission finds that her opinions are thoughtful and she has an excellent judicial demeanor. She is an increasingly senior judge who is successfully mentoring and training a new cohort of colleagues while successfully managing an extraordinarily busy docket. The Commission commends Judge Dunn especially for her significant engagement in the community and leadership roles on myriad committees designed to advance the profession and the operation of the courts. In sum, the Commission finds Judge Dunn is a valuable and effective member of the Court of Appeals.
To conduct its evaluation, the Commission interviewed Judge Dunn, reviewed her self-evaluation, observed oral arguments, read a selection of her legal opinions, and considered survey responses from attorneys and judges. Survey respondents agreed Judge Dunn meets judicial performance standards: 94% of attorneys and 100% of judges who responded to that question answered “yes.” She received an overall score of 3.8 on a 4.0 scale. Judge Dunn received positive comments from lawyers and judges for being fair, impartial and neutral and with regard to her exceptional analytic and writing skills. A total of 16 attorneys and 33 judges responded to the survey.
Judge Dunn was appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeals in June, 2012. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado in 1990 and earned her law degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law in 1993. Before joining the bench, she was a partner at the law firm of Perkins Coie, LLC where she practiced from 2003-2012. While a partner at Perkins Coie, she was Chair of both the Denver Diversity committee and the Denver Pro Bono committee. Her work at Perkins Coie focused on business litigation and appellate practice in both state and federal courts. In addition to membership in several bar associations, she is a member of the National Association of Women Judges and The Colorado Lawyer’s Committee Hate Crimes Education Task Force. She also is a Fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation and participates in the Our Courts program.
2016 retention · Court of Appeals · Statewide
95 percentile · rank 1 of 11
composite 0100
68 percentile · rank 35 of 108
composite 0100
111 22nd percentile among peers · 81st percentile statewide
107125
Composite index 92.42 among peers (67.13 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.77 of 4 · 95.45 percentile
3.433.77
3.45 of 4 · 95.45 percentile
2.943.45
85.00% 86.36 percentile
64.00%87.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.63
- Say “meets standards”
- 85.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.84
- Say “meets standards”
- 97.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing | 3.45median 3.16 | 3.16 |
Commission: meets standards (9–0)
The State Commission on Judicial Performance recommends by a vote of 9 to 0, with one recusal, that Judge Stephanie E. Dunn BE RETAINED.
Judge Dunn was appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeals in June, 2012. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado in 1990 and earned her law degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law in 1993. Before joining the bench she was a partner at the law firm of Perkins Coie, LLC where she practiced from 2003-2012. While a partner at Perkins Coie, she was Chair of both the Denver Diversity committee and the Denver Pro Bono committee. Her work at Perkins Coie focused on business litigation and appellate practice in both state and federal courts. In addition to membership in several bar associations, she is a member of the National Association of Women Judges and The Colorado Lawyer’s Committee Hate Crimes Education Task Force. She also is a Fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation and participates in the Our Courts program.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Dunn, read opinions she authored, observed her in court, reviewed her self-evaluation, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and judges regarding her performance. Among the survey questions was “how strongly do you recommend Judge Dunn be retained in office, or not be retained in office?” Of attorneys completing the survey 85% recommended to retain, 6% not to retain, and 9% made no recommendation regarding retention. Of judges completing the survey 97% recommended that she be retained and 3% made no recommendation regarding retention.
Attorney survey responses indicate that Judge Dunn’s performance was strong in treating parties equally, courtesy toward attorneys, issuing opinions in a timely manner, and being fair and impartial toward each side of the case. Attorney responses also indicate that she is effective in making reasoned decisions, writing opinions that are clear and adequately explain the basis of the decision. The Commission’s observation of Judge Dunn during oral arguments showed that she was well prepared, courteous, and engaging. Attorneys further acknowledge that her decisions are generally thoughtful, well researched, comprehensive, crisp, and straightforward. Judge Dunn’s appellate writing ability was considered strong in all categories measured by the survey. This was confirmed by the Commission’s review of her opinions. It was noted that she has on occasion not addressed arguments presented by the parties and can expand the breadth of her decision beyond that required by the issues in the case. The Commission believes that Judge Dunn is exemplary at meeting the timeliness of her opinions without compromising the depth of legal analysis or the clarity of her writing.