2024 retention · District Court · 17th Judicial District
45 percentile · rank 29 of 52
composite 0100
40 percentile · rank 64 of 107
composite 0100
24 22nd percentile among peers · 29th percentile statewide
14112
Composite index 47.12 among peers (42.99 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.20 of 4 · 48.08 percentile
2.303.80
3.22 of 4 · 50.96 percentile
2.273.80
82.00% 42.31 percentile
29.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 82.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 50.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.00median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Demeanor | 3.30median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Fairness | 3.00median 3.10 | 3.10 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that the Honorable Sharon Diane Holbrook MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
This past term Judge Holbrook has presided over a Juvenile docket in Broomfield (20%), a Probate docket in Broomfield (5%), and a Criminal Docket in both Adams and Broomfield Counties (75%). Judge Holbrook is described by most that appear before her as respectful, dignified, and truly interested in all parties in a case. She will take the time to listen to all sides of a case and clearly makes a conscious effort to make sure that everyone in the courtroom feels heard. Judge Holbrook’s judicial philosophy is to, “meet people where they are,” meaning to understand where parties are coming from and crafting orders that are manageable for participants. The criticism that Judge Holbrook got was for her sentencing with many noting that Judge Holbrook is a consistently harsh sentencing judge. While that does cause concern for some members of The Commission, the overwhelming feedback about Judge Holbrook is that she clearly loves the law and keeps up to date on changes in the law, and that she brings a sense of humanity to the proceedings over which she presides. Judge Holbrook’s demeanor is respectful and interested. She has been on the bench for over a decade, yet she clearly still loves her job.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Holbrook, read opinions from the Colorado Court of Appeals reviewing her orders, observed her in court, interviewed the Chief Judge, the Elected District Attorney, and the Head of the Office of the Public Defender for the Seventeenth Judicial District. In addition, the Commission reviewed judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had interaction with Judge Holbrook. Among the survey questions was whether the survey participant believes that Judge Holbrook meets performance standards? Of the attorneys responding to the survey 82% answered yes; 12% answered no, and 6% had no opinion. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey 50% said yes, and 50% had no opinion. It should be noted that a total of 14 attorneys and 3 non-attorneys completed this question, so these results alone were not persuasive to the Commission.
Judge Sharon Holbrook was appointed to the District Court in October of 2016. She serves as a District Court judge for the 17th Judicial District/Adams and Broomfield Counties. During this term she spent almost two years assigned to Broomfield County where she presided over multiple dockets, including Juvenile, Criminal, Dependency and Neglect and Probate. Prior to appointment as a judge, she served as a District Court Magistrate in Adams County. Before appointment to the bench in 2011, she served for ten years in the Adams County District Attorney's Office, including the position of Senior Trial Deputy for the Child Victim Unit.
2018 retention · District Court · 17th Judicial District
99 percentile · rank 1 of 52
composite 0100
99 percentile · rank 1 of 128
composite 0100
92 77th percentile among peers · 79th percentile statewide
29158
Composite index 96.79 among peers (96.35 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.80 of 4 · 96.15 percentile
2.963.81
3.86 of 4 · 99.04 percentile
2.913.86
100.00% 95.19 percentile
44.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.97
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.77
- Say “meets standards”
- 91.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.94median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.83median 3.43 | 3.43 | |
| Communications | 3.92median 3.58 | 3.58 | |
| Diligence | 3.85median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Demeanor | 3.88median 3.51 | 3.51 | |
| Fairness | 3.76median 3.59 | 3.59 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (10-0) agrees that the Honorable Sharon D. Holbrook MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Sharon Holbrook was a magistrate in Adams County prior to her appointment as a judge. In that role she completed two rotations in domestic, and a rotation in juvenile, civil and criminal. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Holbrook served for ten years in the Adams County District Attorney's Office, with the last four years in the position of Senior Trial Deputy for the Child Victim Unit. She has taught and lectured extensively on the subject of child sexual and physical abuse, and abusive head trauma in infants. Judge Holbrook has served as the president of the Adams Broomfield Bar Association, as Chair of the Adams County Child Fatality Review Team, and has served on the Kempe Center multi-disciplinary team. She is a past president of the Colorado Magistrates Association and is currently the Colorado Director for the National Association of Women Judges. Judge Holbrook is also involved in efforts to educate the judiciary about issues that might impact LGBTQ participants in their courtrooms. She received her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Utah in 1997 and her JD from Willamette University College of Law in 2001.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Holbrook, reviewed opinions she authored, observed her in court, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had experience with Judge Holbrook. Those surveyed were asked, "based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Holbrook meets judicial performance standards?" Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 100% answered that she meets performance standards. Of non-attorneys responding to the survey, 91% answered that she meets performance standards, 4% answered that she did not, and 5% did not have an opinion. A total of thirty-three attorneys and ninety-two non-attorneys responded to the surveys.
During this term, Judge Holbrook presided primarily over a felony criminal docket with a brief period of time (approximately 8%) on a domestic relations docket. Based upon the Commission’s overall evaluation, Judge Holbrook overwhelmingly demonstrated that she either met or exceeded performed standards in all categories. Judge Holbrook’s evaluation scores from attorneys was extremely impressive. She scored perfect scores in the areas of communication and demeanor and her scores in all areas were significantly higher than the average for district court judges across the State. Respondents to surveys describe Judge Holbrook as articulate, fair, smart, dignified, calm and rational. One respondent explained that Judge Holbrook “has managed to set a tone that is both authoritative and efficient, but also kind and welcoming.” Respondents did not point to any weaknesses for Judge Holbrook. The Commission was extremely impressed with Judge Holbrook and her performance, particularly given her short time on the bench. Based upon these findings, the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Holbrook meets performance standards.