2022 retention · County Court · Pueblo County
29 percentile · rank 42 of 59
composite 0100
36 percentile · rank 85 of 134
composite 0100
68 88th percentile among peers · 84th percentile statewide
4108
Composite index 29.94 among peers (38.56 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.50 of 4 · 42.37 percentile
2.503.90
3.48 of 4 · 36.44 percentile
2.453.93
64.00% 11.02 percentile
50.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 64.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 94.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.30median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.60median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.70 | 3.70 | |
| Diligence | 3.50median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Demeanor | 3.40median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 3.40median 3.50 | 3.50 |
Commission: meets standards
The Tenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agreed with a total of 9 commissioners present that Judge Steven B. Fieldman MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Fieldman on June 1, 2022, and also interviewed the Chief District Judge Deborah Eyler, District Attorney Jeff Chostner and Chief Public Defender Albert Singleton on May 3, 2022. The Commission reviewed opinions Judge Fieldman authored and observed him in court on numerous occasions. Judge Fieldman is described as being passionate about his work and that he is a fair and knowledgeable judge. There were concerns raised that Judge Fieldman at times can say things out of frustration that are not becoming of the bench and can be harsh with new lawyers. Judge Fieldman acknowledges that he can at time express his frustrations with attorneys and is trying to be more mindful of how he communicates while on the bench. Judge Fieldman also acknowledges that he at times finds himself educating younger attorneys and that he is working on being more mindful about how and when he provides this feedback. Judge Fieldman stated he enjoys his job, co-workers and staff.
The Commission reviewed judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had interaction in Judge Fieldman's court. Among the survey questions was 11based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Fieldman meets judicial performance standards?11 Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 64% answered yes; 36% answered no; and 0% had no opinion. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 94% answered yes; 2% said no and 4% had no opinion. A total of 27 attorneys and 53 non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Fieldman. Judge Fieldman received ratings above the statewide average among county court judges with a 3.5 as compared to 3.4 for all county court judges standing for retention with regard to all the areas surveyed: (1) case management, (2) application and knowledge of law, (3) communications, (4) demeanor, (5) diligence; and (6) fairness.
Judge Fieldman was appointed to the Pueblo County Court Bench in November of 2007 and started serving in January of 2008. Prior to his appointment, Judge Fieldman served 14 years as a Deputy District Attorney in the Tenth Judicial District. Judge Fieldman is a past Vice-President of the Colorado Bar Association, Past-President of the Pueblo County Bar Association and is a graduate of the Colorado Bar Association Leadership Training Program (COBALT 2008). Judge Fieldman is actively involved in various community activities and serves or has served on numerous boards to include, the Board of Directors of Crossroads' Turning Point, Senior Resource Development Agency, and Catholic Charities of Southern Colorado. Judge fieldman is a contributing editor of the DUI bench book and serves on several Colorado Supreme Court Committees. Judge Fieldman graduated from Clark University in 1988 and the University of Denver College of Law in 1992.
2018 retention · County Court · Pueblo County
64 percentile · rank 26 of 71
composite 0100
66 percentile · rank 44 of 128
composite 0100
76 60th percentile among peers · 60th percentile statewide
4130
Composite index 62.91 among peers (63.02 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.51 of 4 · 48.59 percentile
2.593.90
3.49 of 4 · 55.63 percentile
2.593.90
97.00% 84.51 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.86
- Say “meets standards”
- 97.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.16
- Say “meets standards”
- 72.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.88median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.44median 3.38 | 3.38 | |
| Communications | 3.62median 3.58 | 3.58 | |
| Diligence | 3.67median 3.42 | 3.42 | |
| Demeanor | 3.41median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Fairness | 2.95median 3.60 | 3.60 |
Commission: meets standards (9–0)
Nine members of the Tenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agree that Judge Steven B. Fieldman MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. One member of the commission was recused.
Judge Fieldman was appointed by Governor Ritter in November 2007, and he took the bench on January 4, 2008. Judge Fieldman graduated from Clark University in 1988 and the University of Denver College of Law in 1992. Judge Fieldman served as a Deputy District Attorney in the 10th Judicial District for 14 years prior to being appointed to the County Court bench.
The commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Fieldman, reviewed his 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 Fieldman. Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 97% indicated that Judge Fieldman meets performance standards and 3% indicated no opinion. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 72% indicated that Judge Fieldman meets performance standards 17% indicated he did not meet performance standards and 11% had no opinion.
From January 2014 through January 2017, Judge Fieldman presided over dockets handling criminal misdemeanor and traffic matters. In February of 2017, Judge Fieldman was assigned to 100% civil cases including eviction cases and civil protection orders. Judge Fieldman indicated that this change to a civil docket was challenging since he was fairly new to these cases; however, he has researched the statutes and continues to make positive changes in his courtroom to ensure that all of the parties in his courtroom feel that they have been heard and understood. In all major categories of the Judicial Performance Surveys, non-attorneys rated Judge Fieldman slightly lower than attorneys. Attorneys generally found that Judge Fieldman managed his docket and courtroom well, that he is fair and impartial, and has a solid knowledge of the law. While Judge Fieldman emphasized in his interview that routine cases should all be handled in a consistent and similar manner, some attorneys believe he rejected too many pleas when he was handling his criminal docket. Non-attorneys overall found that he was patient and professional but was seen as partial in certain instances; however, based on the content of some comments it appears the law was being correctly applied. During courtroom observations, Commission members found Judge Fieldman to be patient and respectful of the participants in his division and that he genuinely wanted litigants to understand the civil court process. Judge Fieldman’s professional goals are to continue to learn new areas of the law and to continue exploring ways to streamline his busy docket. Based on the Commission’s overall evaluation, Judge Fieldman meets or exceeds performance standards in all categories.