William L. Herringer

Commission: meets standards (10–0)

The Sixth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (10-0) recommends that Judge William L. Herringer BE RETAINED.

Judge Herringer was appointed to the District Court for the Sixth Judicial District in November, 2013. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado College in 1989 and a Juris Doctorate from University of Colorado in 1993. From 1993-1998, Judge Herringer practiced criminal defense law as a Colorado Deputy State Public Defender, representing indigent clients in misdemeanor and felony cases. Beginning 1998, until his appointment as a Judge, Judge Herringer was in private practice handling civil and criminal cases. He has always emphasized trial work in his public and private practice. Judge Herringer is committed to remaining active in the community and has presented at local schools and to the regional Bar Association on multiple occasions.

The commission reviewed comments from the public and analyzed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had appeared in his court. The commission members observed him in court, reviewed decisions he authored, reviewed his self-evaluation, met with representatives from the Public Defender’s and District Attorney’s Offices, and conducted a personal interview with Judge Herringer. Among the survey questions was “how strongly do you recommend that Judge Herringer be retailed in office, or not be retained in office?” Of attorneys completing the survey, 91% recommended Judge Herringer be retained and 9% made no recommendation regarding retention. Of non-attorneys completing the survey, 62% recommended Judge Herringer be retained in office, 22% recommended that he not be retained, and 17% made no recommendation regarding retention. (The percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding).

Judge Herringer presides over criminal, domestic, juvenile, dependency and neglect, civil, and probate matters in his court. He is the lead Judge for Dependency and Neglect (child welfare) cases and co-chairs the local Best Practices Court Team. Since being appointed as Judge, he has actively sought out training opportunities to enhance his understanding of civil litigation, including attending the Colorado Judicial Institute on domestic relations law and child welfare. The Commission acknowledges the disparity between the attorney and non- attorney evaluations. The commission is impressed by Judge Herringer’s constructive responses to his interim evaluation, particularly with regard to different aspects of judicial temperament and the appearance that he is distracted from the people in the courtroom. The commission also appreciated Judge Herringer’s strong intellect and commitment to justice and agrees with many comments that he is an asset to our judiciary.

State evaluation page · 2016 survey report (PDF)