Deborah R. Eyler

Commission: meets standards (8–0)

Eight members of the Tenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agree that Chief Judge Deborah R. Eyler MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. Two members of the commission were recused.

Judge Eyler received her undergraduate and law degrees from Creighton University. For approximately twenty years she was engaged in primarily a civil practice, including family mediation, in Pueblo, Colorado. She then received an appointment as Pueblo County District Court Family Court Facilitator in 2003. Judge Eyler also worked as a magistrate primarily in the area of dependency and neglect before her appointment as District Judge on December 1, 2008. She has served as the Chief Judge for the Tenth Judicial District since June 1, 2012. Judge Eyler shows a strong commitment to Pueblo. She is involved in many different projects in our community, which include the Pueblo Interagency Oversight Group, Juvenile Services Planning Commission, and the Community Corrections Board. She also regularly visits nursing homes, reads at the library and attends numerous community events.

The commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Eyler, reviewed her judicial opinions and self-evaluation, performed extensive courtroom observations, interviewed local agencies and considered the results of the 2018 Judicial Performance Survey Report and Case Management Reports. On the Judicial Performance Survey, all surveyed groups had a sufficient response rate from those who had experience with Judge Eyler. Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 84% indicated that Judge Eyler meets performance standards and 16% indicated that she did not meet performance standards. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 75% indicated that Judge Eyler meets performance standards and 25% had no opinion. Of the Appellate Judges responding to the survey, 100% rated her overall performance as “excellent” resulting in the highest score possible for that category.

Judge Eyler presided over civil, juvenile and criminal cases during this term. In all major categories of the Judicial Performance Surveys, non-attorneys rated Judge Eyler slightly higher than attorneys. Attorneys generally found that she managed her cases well, was fair and impartial and had a good demeanor but indicated improvement could be made with regard to advance preparation for cases and issuing timely, evidence-based rulings. Non-attorneys found that she had understandable communication skills and rated her highly for fairness. Commission members found courtroom observations generally corroborated these survey findings. Her personal interview and self-evaluation demonstrates self-awareness of her overall performance and she implements a growth mindset, working to improve areas of weakness. Based on the Commission’s overall evaluation, Judge Eyler meets or exceeds performance standards in all categories.

State evaluation page · 2018 survey report (PDF)