Kerri Lombardi

Commission: meets standards (5–0)

The Denver County Court Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 5-0 that Judge Kerri Lombardi MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance criteria are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.

Judge Lombardi is the Denver County Court presiding judge and oversees the court’s overall administration, fiscal and budget responsibilities, employees, security and engagement with city and state partners. When she became presiding judge in 2024, she learned the business side of the court very quickly. She has been uniformly commended for her transparency and clear communication in handling recent budget issues, including holding several open forums to answer questions directly. She is a strong leader who shows up both literally and figuratively for employees and is a fierce advocate for the court, its people and its independence. She makes thoughtful decisions and demonstrates integrity while navigating systemic problems. She is known for not shying away from difficult issues and for tackling challenges straight on. In the courtroom, she is efficient, approachable, knowledgeable and commands respect.

In evaluating Judge Lombardi, the commission did extensive live, livestream and recorded courtroom observations, conducted a personal interview with the judicial officer, and reviewed case management data and the judicial officer self-evaluation, with supporting documents when submitted, to inform its decision for meets/does not meet performance standards. The Commission also interviewed many of the courts stakeholders and administrators that work closely with Judge Lombardi.

Judge Lombardi was appointed to the Denver County Court in 2015. In February 2024, she became the Court’s presiding judge. Prior to her appointment, Judge Lombardi served as a chief deputy district attorney in Denver for more than 20 years and specialized in cases involving domestic violence and crimes against children. She is a member of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and the Colorado LGBTQ+ Bar Association. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and her law degree from the University of Denver.

State evaluation page

Commission: meets standards (9–0)

The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance agrees by a vote of 9-0, with one Commissioner absent from voting, that Judge Kerri Lombardi MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Lombardi presides over civil protection order court and has previously presided over traffic court, general sessions, and a criminal division. Judge Lombardi meets all aspects of the judicial performance criteria. Judge Lombardi’s strengths, as described in survey results, include her fairness and her willingness to listen to all parties. Her courtroom demeanor is balanced and she demonstrates good courtroom control. The Commission commends Judge Lombardi on her willingness to seek mentoring and feedback on her performance. The Commission did not identify any evaluation category in which Judge Lombardi displayed a notable weakness.

The Commission met with the Presiding Judge of Denver County Court, as well as with members of the Public Defender’s Office and Probation Department, to discuss their impressions of Judge Lombardi’s performance. The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Lombardi, 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 Lombardi in the courtroom to meaningfully respond. The surveys reflected personal opinions on Judge Lombardi’s Case Management, Application and Knowledge of the Law, Communications, Diligence, Demeanor, and Fairness. Of the 17 attorneys and 43 non-attorneys who completed the survey and reported they had sufficient knowledge of Judge Lombardi’s performance to evaluate her, 71% of the attorneys and 97% of the non-attorneys believe that she meets performance standards. Judge Lombardi’s combined (attorney and non-attorney) survey scores are above or significantly above the statewide average for county court judges in all categories. Judge Lombardi received nearly all positive comments submitted by attorneys and non-attorneys who interacted with her. 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 Lombardi be retained.

Mayor Hancock appointed Judge Lombardi, a Denver native, to the Court in May 2015. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder and her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Prior to her appointment, she worked in the Denver District Attorney’s Office for 20 years as a Deputy, Senior Deputy and then Chief Deputy District Attorney. Judge Lombardi has been involved in Judicial Outsight Group activities, serving meals at homeless shelters, and preparing gift baskets for veterans with Catholic Charities. Judge Lombardi also chairs the Human Resources Committee of the Denver County Court and serves on a number of other committees of the Court.

State evaluation page · 2022 survey report (PDF)

Commission: meets standards (10–0)

The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, unanimously (10-0) finds that Judge Kerri Lombardi MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Lombardi was appointed to the Denver County Court in May 2015. Judge Lombardi received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver, Strum College of Law and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Prior to her appointment, Judge Lombardi was a Chief Deputy District Attorney in Denver for 20 years and supervised the County Court Division of the Denver District Attorney’s Office. While in her role as Chief Deputy District Attorney, Judge Lombardi served as the co-chief and then chief of the Family Violence Unit, which specialized in the prosecution of domestic violence cases and crimes against children. Judge Lombardi is currently a member of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and LGBT Bar Association. Judge Lombardi currently presides in a misdemeanor criminal division and previously presided in traffic court and the general sessions division.

The Commission reviewed the results of surveys submitted by attorneys and non-attorneys, including written verbatim comments, interviews of the Chief Judge of the County Court, the Denver District Attorney, and the head of the public defender’s office in Denver County and transcripts of oral rulings by Judge Lombardi in three cases. The Commission also considered a written self-evaluation completed by Judge Lombardi, conducted a personal interview with her, and some members of the Commission observed Judge Lombardi 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 Lombardi meets judicial performance standards?” Of the 30 attorneys responding, 79% of attorneys indicated Judge Lombardi met performance standards, 18% indicated she did not meet performance standards and 4% had no opinion (difference due to rounding). Of the 48 non-attorneys responding, 91% indicated Judge Lombardi met performance standards, 6% indicated she did not meet performance standards and 2% had no opinion (difference due to rounding). Attorneys scored Judge Lombardi slightly higher than the average of judges standing for retention in the areas of case management and diligence but lower than average for application and knowledge of the law, communications and demeanor. Non-attorneys rated Judge Lombardi higher than average in all areas of judicial performance. Comments from attorneys that were critical of Judge Lombardi were related to judicial demeanor, impartiality and fairness. In its overall evaluation, the Commission found some support for the critical comments. In her initial interview, Judge Lombardi did not articulate a clear path to addressing concerns about demeanor that were raised in the surveys, Commission interviews and observation. However, Judge Lombardi subsequently initiated her own comprehensive improvement plan addressing these issues. Based on these findings, and recognizing that she is a relatively new judge, the Commission unanimously concluded Judge Lombardi meets judicial performance standards.

State evaluation page · 2018 survey report (PDF)