2022 retention · County Court · Denver County
34 percentile · rank 39 of 59
composite 0100
52 percentile · rank 64 of 134
composite 0100
36 40th percentile among peers · 32nd percentile statewide
4108
Composite index 37.57 among peers (49.88 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.40 of 4 · 26.27 percentile
2.503.90
3.50 of 4 · 40.68 percentile
2.453.93
89.00% 45.76 percentile
50.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 89.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 71.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.50median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.30median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.70 | 3.70 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Demeanor | 3.60median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 3.50median 3.50 | 3.50 |
Commission: meets standards (8–0)
The Second Judicial District on Judicial Performance agrees by a vote of 8-0, with two Commissioners absent from voting, that Judge Clarisse Gonzales MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Gonzales presides over a criminal docket in Denver County Court. Judge Gonzales meets all aspects of the performance criteria and writes in a clear, concise, and well-reasoned manner. Judge Gonzales is efficient and engaged in the courtroom with a professional and kind demeanor for which the Commission commends her. The Commission did not identify any evaluation category in which Judge Gonzales displayed a notable weakness. The Commission appreciates the thoughtfulness and self-reflection Judge Gonzales displayed in her self-evaluation and Commission members observed these qualities during its evaluation and interview.
The Commission met with the Presiding Judge of Denver County Court to discuss her interactions with Judge Gonzales, as well as with members of the Public Defender’s Office and Probation Department to discuss their impressions of Judge Gonzales’ performance. The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Gonzales, observed her during court proceedings, and reviewed decisions she authored, case management data, comments received from interested parties, and judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys that self-reported they had sufficient interaction with Judge Gonzales in the courtroom to meaningfully respond. The surveys reflected personal opinions on Judge Gonzales’ Case Management, Application and Knowledge of Law, Communications, Diligence, Demeanor, and Fairness. Of the 18 attorneys and 18 non-attorneys who completed the survey and reported they had sufficient knowledge of Gonzales’ performance to evaluate her, 89% of the attorneys and71% of the non-attorneys believe that she meets performance standards. Judge Gonzales’ combined (attorney and non-attorney) survey scores are slightly above or equal to the statewide average among county court judges in the areas of Case Management, Application and Knowledge of Law, Communications, Diligence, Demeanor, and Fairness. As a result of procedural irregularities in the distribution of these surveys, the response rates for the 2022 survey were not as robust as compared to prior evaluation cycles. While the Commission used these survey results in its evaluation, limited weight was given to these survey results and the results were used in conjunction with several other tools to evaluate her performance. All data reviewed by the Commission supports the recommendation that Judge Gonzales be retained.
Mayor Hickenlooper appointed Judge Gonzales in January 2007. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado and her law degree from Howard University School of Law. Prior to her appointment she worked as a prosecutor, a defense attorney, a legal advocate for abused and neglected children, and a District Court Magistrate. Judge Gonzales is passionate about community service as reflected in her volunteer service, mentorship, and her creation of the Judicial Outsight Group, which coordinates public service opportunities for judicial officers and brings awareness to, and seeks to improve, mental health in the legal field. In 2015, she received the Judicial Excellence Award from the Colorado Judicial Institute.
2018 retention · County Court · Denver County
37 percentile · rank 45 of 71
composite 0100
31 percentile · rank 88 of 128
composite 0100
76 60th percentile among peers · 60th percentile statewide
4130
Composite index 39.44 among peers (36.46 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.43 of 4 · 33.80 percentile
2.593.90
3.42 of 4 · 35.92 percentile
2.593.90
82.00% 48.59 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.39
- Say “meets standards”
- 82.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.44
- Say “meets standards”
- 83.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.47median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.31median 3.38 | 3.38 | |
| Communications | 3.54median 3.58 | 3.58 | |
| Diligence | 3.39median 3.42 | 3.42 | |
| Demeanor | 3.40median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Fairness | 3.43median 3.60 | 3.60 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (10-0) agrees that that Judge Clarisse Gonzales MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Gonzales was appointed to the Denver County Court in January 2007. She earned her undergraduate degree in visual arts from the University of Northern Colorado in 1987 and her law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1992. Before becoming a judge, Judge Gonzales worked as a prosecutor, as both a court-appointed and private criminal defense lawyer, and as a guardian ad litem in dependency and neglect cases. Judge Gonzales also served as a district court magistrate in the Eighteenth Judicial District from 2005-2007. Judge Gonzales has been very active in a wide variety of community service activities including volunteer work in the Denver County Court, participating in activities to serve the homeless, and both hosting a family night and serving as a volunteer teacher at Warren Village, a transitional housing program for single parents.
The Commission reviewed the survey results of lawyers and non-lawyers who have appeared in Judge Gonzales’ court, interviewed the judge, and reviewed five written opinions and her self-evaluation. Selected members of the Commission observed Judge Gonzales in court. Among the survey questions was “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Gonzales meets judicial performance standards?” Of the 35 attorneys responding to the survey, 82% answered yes, meets performance standards, while 18% answered no, does not meet performance standards. Of the 41 non-attorneys responding to the survey, 83% answered yes, meets performance standards, 13% answered no, does not meet performance standards, and 5% had no opinion whether Judge Gonzales meets or does not meet performance standards. Judge Gonzales’ survey results revealed an overall combined average rating above that of the combined rating of all county judges in the state standing for retention.
Judge Gonzales currently presides in the municipal criminal division and has previously presided in a civil division and traffic court. In 2015, Judge Gonzales received the Judicial Excellence Award for county court judges from The Colorado Judicial Institute. The Commission was impressed with Judge Gonzales’ high scores in all five areas of review among attorneys: case management, application and knowledge of the law, communications, demeanor and diligence. The Commission also acknowledges the thoughtfulness displayed by Judge Gonzales in both her self-evaluation and interview. Also of importance to the Commission was the quality of Judge Gonzales’ written opinions addressing complex statutory and constitutional issues not common to many municipal court cases. For all of these reasons, the Commission unanimously concluded that Judge Gonzales meets performance standards.