2024 retention · County Court · Adams County
37 percentile · rank 30 of 47
composite 0100
36 percentile · rank 68 of 107
composite 0100
17 26th percentile among peers · 12th percentile statewide
671
Composite index 43.62 among peers (42.06 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.30 of 4 · 58.51 percentile
2.103.80
3.28 of 4 · 56.38 percentile
2.173.75
69.00% 15.96 percentile
27.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 69.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 67.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.10median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.20median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Demeanor | 3.50median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 3.20median 3.20 | 3.20 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Judge Martin J. Flaum II MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Flaum is noted for his pleasant demeanor and case management skills. He is credited with setting reasonable schedules for matters in front of him and for listening carefully to the parties during court proceedings. Notwithstanding emotional matters being a significant portion of his docket, Judge Flaum maintains a sense of dignity in the courtroom. He was also found to be fair and impartial. Judge Flaum is aware of the need to avoid any appearance of impropriety and stresses that part of the solution is constant internal reflection especially in civil cases and has adopted a practice of increased communication, patience, and continuing to give a legal basis for my decisions to try to overcome a perception that judges in this district are biased in civil matters, particularly eviction cases. The Commission supports his approach to addressing this issue. Judge Flaum’s community service is also to be acknowledged. He has frequently been a guest speaker at local high schools and is also a volunteer for mock trial competitions. Judge Flaum also regularly attends numerous community events for organizations including CASA, Ralston House, Access Housing, Adams and Broomfield County Bar Association, Law Day, and the Hyland Hills Recreation District Foundation to develop good community relationships.
The Commission conducted and reviewed a personal interview with Judge Flaum, reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, and reviewed the limited number judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had interaction in Judge Flaum's court and who had responded to surveys. Among the survey questions was "Based on your responses to the previous questions related to this performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Flaum meets judicial performance standards?" Of the responding attorneys, 69% answered “Yes” and 8% answered “No,” with 23% expressing no opinion. Of the three non-attorneys responding to this survey, two answered “Yes” and one answered “No.” The Commission expressed its opinion that the number of non-attorneys responding was not meaningful enough to be given much consideration.
Judge Flaum presides over a mixed county court docket in Brighton, Colorado, with 95% of the cases being civil matters such as forcible entry and detainer actions and 5% of the cases being criminal matters. Judge Flaum was a graduate of Northglenn High School. He graduated from Creighton Law School and began his career at the Adams County District Attorney’s office. In 2016, Judge Flaum was appointed to the Adams County, County Court Bench in 2016.
2020 retention · County Court · Adams County
68 percentile · rank 12 of 37
composite 0100
63 percentile · rank 37 of 100
composite 0100
29 50th percentile among peers · 39th percentile statewide
380
Composite index 58.56 among peers (57.33 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.40 of 4 · 45.95 percentile
1.504.00
3.55 of 4 · 56.76 percentile
1.503.95
92.00% 72.97 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 92.00%
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 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.50median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Fairness | 4.00median 3.90 | 3.90 |
Commission: meets standards (8–0)
The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance agreed unanimously (8-0) that the Honorable Martin J. Flaum II MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. Two Commission members did not participate in the voting.
Judge Flaum is a County Court judge in the Seventeenth Judicial District serving Adams County. The performance commission observed Judge Flaum conduct proceedings in his courtroom, reviewed transcripts of court proceedings, reviewed selected written decisions, and analyed survey results provided by attorneys, non-attornyes and appellate judges. The commission also interviewed Judge Flaum and reviewed his self-evaluation.
Based on all of this information, the Commission is impressed by several aspects of Judge Flaum’s performance, including: his ability to empathize with the parties who appear before him; his ability to provide feedback and guidance to attorneys in the courtroom while not overstepping his role and responsibilities; his understanding of the legal parameters within which he must find a fair resolution to the cases in his courtroom; and his commitment to achieving fair outcomes that, to the extent possible, provide parties with meaningful opportunities to learn from and move beyond their prior mistakes. The Commission is also impressed by Judge Flaum’s willingness to continue his professional development, as well as his commitment to the 17th Judicial District community. The commission believes that Judge Flaum is genuinely committed to, and is effectively ensuring, the fair, transparent and speedy application of justice in his courtroom. Judge Flaum has the appropriate demeanor, work ethic and commitment to fairness and the letter of the law to have a long and successful career as a judge in the 17th Judicial District. The commission is pleased to report that Judge Flaum is meeting all the commission’s performance standards.
Judge Flaum was appointed to the Adams County Court in 2016 by Governor John Hickenlooper. Prior to his appointment, Judge Flaum was a Deputy District Attorney in the 17th Judicial District. Judge Flaum earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska in 2003 and his juris doctorate from Creighton University in 2009.