2026 retention · District Court · 2nd Judicial District
82 percentile · rank 12 of 65
composite 0100
79 percentile · rank 23 of 108
composite 0100
18 21st percentile among peers · 24th percentile statewide
1054
Composite index 76.67 among peers (72.84 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.40 of 4 · 76.15 percentile
2.103.80
3.33 of 4 · 69.23 percentile
2.073.82
100.00% 84.62 percentile
25.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 80.00%
| 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 | 3.30median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.30median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Demeanor | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 3.30median 3.10 | 3.10 |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | 3.30 | 3.40 | 3.70 | 3.70 | 3.20 | 3.60 |
| Responses | 23 | 34 | 70 | 55 | 49 | 48 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Judge John Eric Elliff MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance criteria are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Elliff currently presides over domestic relations matters in the Denver District Court. Judge Elliff meets all aspects of the performance criteria on which he is evaluated. The Commission commends Judge Elliff for mentoring newer judges, his preparation and knowledge of the law. Judge Elliff’s written decisions are well reasoned, comprehensive and clear. His notable strengths, as observed by the Commission and described in survey responses, include his professional judicial temperament, the clarity and promptness of his decisions, and his commitment to treating pro se litigants with respect. The Commission, based on its observation and analysis of survey responses, did not identify any evaluation category in which Judge Elliff displayed a notable weakness as to the performance criteria. Judge Elliff exceeded the Court’s productivity benchmark for civil and domestic relations cases.
The Commission met with the Chief Judge of Denver District Court to discuss challenges facing the court system. The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Elliff and observed him during court proceedings. It also reviewed opinions he authored, comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, case management data, and judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who interacted with him. The surveys reflected personal opinions regarding Judge Elliff in the categories of case management, application and knowledge of the law, communications, diligence, demeanor, and fairness. A total of 8 attorneys and 10 non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Elliff. The overall information and data reviewed supports the Commission’s recommendation that Judge Elliff meets performance standards.
Judge Elliff was appointed to the Denver District Court in January 2011. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner in the Denver office of Husch Blackwell, where he specialized in commercial and intellectual property litigation. Judge Elliff has remained actively involved in several professional and community service initiatives, including serving as a mentor for “Law School Yes We Can,” an organization that supports underprivileged minority college students interested in attending law school. He also mentors other judges, serves on the Colorado Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee, and participates in the Underfunded Courthouse Committee, which works with judges, state officials, and county commissioners to support improvements to court facilities in rural communities throughout Colorado. Judge Elliff received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and law degree from the University of Colorado Law School.
2020 retention · District Court · 2nd Judicial District
26 percentile · rank 44 of 59
composite 0100
29 percentile · rank 71 of 100
composite 0100
25 18th percentile among peers · 28th percentile statewide
1488
Composite index 30.23 among peers (32.50 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.30 of 4 · 25.42 percentile
2.203.90
3.38 of 4 · 31.36 percentile
2.423.88
83.00% 33.90 percentile
39.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 83.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.40median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.00median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.30median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Diligence | 3.20median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.40median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 4.00median 4.00 | 4.00 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, on a vote of 10-0, unanimously finds that the Honorable John Eric Elliff MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Elliff, reviewed orders he authored, observed him in court through online proceedings and by listening to recordings, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had experience with Judge Elliff.
Those surveyed were asked, “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Elliff meets judicial performance standards?” Of the 22 attorneys responding to the surveys, 83% believe that Judge Elliff meets performance standards and 17% believe he does not meet performance standards. Judge Elliff received ratings slightly below the statewide average among all District Court judges standing for retention with regard to the areas surveyed: (1) application and knowledge of law, (2) communications, (3) diligence, and (4) demeanor. He received a rating slightly above the statewide average among all District Court judges standing for retention with regard to (1) fairness. Overall, the Commission was impressed with Judge Elliff’s performance.
Judge Elliff was appointed to the Second Judicial District Court in 2011. Before his appointment, he was a partner with Husch Blackwell, LLP. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law where he graduated Order of Coif and earned a Bachelor of Science from Washington University in St. Louis. Judge Elliff volunteers as a mentor for Law School Yes We Can, an organization that mentors students to support greater diversity in the legal profession.