2024 retention · County Court · Adams County
84 percentile · rank 8 of 47
composite 0100
73 percentile · rank 28 of 107
composite 0100
30 62nd percentile among peers · 41st percentile statewide
671
Composite index 72.34 among peers (69.31 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.40 of 4 · 71.28 percentile
2.103.80
3.42 of 4 · 71.28 percentile
2.173.75
90.00% 74.47 percentile
27.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 90.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 80.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.60median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.40median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Demeanor | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 3.50median 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 Leroy D. Kirby MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Kirby's demeanor is described as respectful, professional, dignified, and fair. His written decisions are clear, concise, and well written. Judge Kirby is an extremely hard worker and uses his intellect to promote new developments in the law and enhance the administration of justice in his court. Commission members observed these qualities during his interview and in reviewing the evaluation materials. Judge Kirby's opinions reflect his knowledge of the law and common-sense communication style. Based on these findings this Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Kirby meets performance standards. Judge Kirby treats those appearing in his courtroom with respect and is consistent in his sentencing of defendants that appear before him. The Commission finds that Judge Kirby makes a conscious effort to ensure parties appearing in his courtroom understand the matters before him and that he understands how the parties view an interaction with the court. His case management is efficient, but also ensures that parties have an adequate opportunity to be heard. Judge Kirby has historically devoted a significant amount of time to community service and improving the judicial system in Adams County.
This Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Kirby, 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 Kirby's court and 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 Kirby meets judicial performance standards?" Of the responding attorneys, 90% answered “Yes” and 5% answered “No,” with 5% expressing no opinion. Of the non-attorneys responding to this survey, 80% answered “Yes” and 20% answered “No.” A total of twenty attorneys and ten non-attorneys responded.
Judge Kirby was appointed to the Adams County Court in 2009 and is currently the Chief County Court Judge. He presides over civil, criminal, misdemeanor and traffic matters in the County Court in Brighton, Colorado. Judge Kirby graduated from Regis University in Denver with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He then became a Naval Officer, graduating from Officer Candidate School and continued active duty until 1992. Judge Kirby graduated from University of Denver Sturn College of Law and was a Deputy Public Defender for the State of Colorado until his appointment as magistrate in 2007. He was then appointed to the Adams County bench in 2009.
2020 retention · County Court · Adams County
71 percentile · rank 11 of 37
composite 0100
76 percentile · rank 24 of 100
composite 0100
21 32nd percentile among peers · 17th percentile statewide
380
Composite index 69.82 among peers (73.33 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.70 of 4 · 77.03 percentile
1.504.00
3.64 of 4 · 66.22 percentile
1.503.95
89.00% 66.22 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 89.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 94.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.80median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.60median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Diligence | 3.60median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.50median 3.50 | 3.50 |
Commission: meets standards (8–0)
The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance agreed unanimously (8-0) that the Honorable Judge Leroy D. Kirby MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. Two Commission members did not participate in the voting.
Judge Kirby was appointed to the County Court bench in July 2009. His current docket consists of 50% Civil, 25% Criminal and 20% Misdemeanor. The Commission was pleased to see Judge Kirby continues to excel as a Judge. Throughout his evaluation words that often came up to describe Judge Kirby were, compassionate, thoughtful, fair, professional and consistent. It was often said he treats everyone in his courtroom with dignity and respect. Overall Judge Kirby’s evaluation indicated that he is an excellent Judge. The commission is pleased to report that Judge Kirby is meeting all the commission’s performance standards.
In evaluating Judge Kirby the Commission reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, read court transcripts, conducted a personal interview via video link, reviewed comments received from interested persons, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys who have had experience in his court. In reviewing the performance standards criteria: integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public, the Commission found that Judge Kirby's scores were above average compared to other County Court Judges. Of 21 attorneys’ responding to the survey 89% answered that Judge Kirby met performance standards, 11% responded that he did not meet performance standards.
Judge Kirby graduated from Regis University in Denver with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He then became a Naval Officer graduating from Officer Candidate School and continued active duty until 1992 and continued in the Navy Reserves as a Commander until he retired after 25 years of service. Judge Kirby graduated from University of Denver School of Law and was licensed in 1995. Judge Kirby was Deputy Public Defender for the State of Colorado until his appointment as magistrate in 2007 and then went on to be appointed to the Adams County court bench in 2009. He also created the first state accredited Drug Court in Adams County.
2016 retention · County Court · Adams County
65 percentile · rank 13 of 36
composite 0100
73 percentile · rank 29 of 108
composite 0100
85 62nd percentile among peers · 58th percentile statewide
5140
Composite index 64.81 among peers (72.53 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.67 of 4 · 65.28 percentile
3.113.84
3.66 of 4 · 68.06 percentile
3.023.84
86.00% 61.11 percentile
50.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.51
- Say “meets standards”
- 86.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.82
- Say “meets standards”
- 93.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.50median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.59median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Communications | 3.76median 3.65 | 3.65 | |
| Diligence | 3.61median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Demeanor | 3.70median 3.62 | 3.62 | |
| Fairness | 3.81median 3.66 | 3.66 |
Commission: meets standards (9–0)
The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends by a vote of 9-0 that Judge Leroy D. Kirby BE RETAINED.
Judge Kirby was appointed as a County Court judge in Adams County on May 9, 2009, and took the bench in July, 2009. Judge Kirby received his undergraduate degree from Regis University. He then be-came a Naval Officer and continued on active duty until 1992. He retired a Commander in the Navy Re-serves after 25 years of service. Judge Kirby graduated from the University of Denver School of Law and was licensed in 1995. He was a Deputy Public Defender for the State of Colorado until his appointment as a Magistrate in 2007. Judge Kirby has actively pursued the development of the first drug court program in Adams County. He was awarded County Court Judge of the Year in 2013 by the Colorado Judicial Institute and was awarded the first award of Civility in Practice by the Adams Broomfield Bar Association in 2015.
The evaluation methods used by the commission included a review of legal opinions authored by Judge Kirby, a personal interview by the commission, in-court observations by commission members, and a review of Judge Kirby’s Self Evaluation. Surveys distributed to both attorneys and non-attorneys, associated with cases brought before the judge, provided statistics that were integral in assessing Judge Kirby’s effectiveness. Among the survey questions was “How strongly do you recommend that Judge Kirby be retained in office, or not be retained in office?” Of attorneys completing the survey, 86% recommended retention, 10% not to retain, and 5% made no recommendation. 93% of responding non-attorneys recommended retention, 2% recommended non-retention and 5% had no recommendation. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding).
In general, the Judge enjoys a strong approval rating by those he’s interacted with in his courtroom over this past term. 45% of Judge Kirby’s cases are civil cases, 15% are criminal, 20% misdemeanor and 20% traffic. Judge Kirby received ratings from both attorneys and non-attorneys that are slightly higher than average for all county court judges standing for retention in 2016. During his interview, Judge Kirby gave recognition to the highly successful drug court he was instrumental in starting in Adams County and continues to run today. He received high marks for his case management abilities, communications skills, fairness, and courtroom demeanor. Based on its review of post-case surveys, courtroom observations, several of Judge Kirby’ decisions, and interview of Judge Kirby, the Commission unanimously recommends that Judge Leroy Kirby BE RETAINED.