2022 retention · County Court · Otero County
91 percentile · rank 5 of 59
composite 0100
95 percentile · rank 6 of 134
composite 0100
24 26th percentile among peers · 14th percentile statewide
4108
Composite index 88.14 among peers (93.28 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.80 of 4 · 89.83 percentile
2.503.90
3.78 of 4 · 88.14 percentile
2.453.93
100.00% 86.44 percentile
50.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.80median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.80median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.70 | 3.70 | |
| Diligence | 3.80median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Demeanor | 3.80median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 3.80median 3.50 | 3.50 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Sixteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees that Judge Douglas R. Manley MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, by a vote of 10 – 0. The Colorado statutory judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Manley presides over civil, criminal advisements, misdemeanors, traffic, and small claims matters in Otero County, Colorado. Judge Manley’s demeanor is described as calm, patient, fair, and understanding of people in the court room. Judge Manley has excellent docket control, consistently prepared for his hearings and executes exceptional oral orders. The Commission appreciates that Judge Manley is approachable and strives to increase his knowledge as evidenced by the substantial number of continuing education classes that Judge Manley attends. Judge Manley is an excellent example of what Judges should be and how they should perform in the courtroom. Commission members observed these qualities during their evaluation and interview. Based on these findings, the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Douglas Manley meets performance standards.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Manley, interviewed both the Public Defender and District Attorney, reviewed opinions Judge Manley authored, observed him in court, reviewed a self-evaluation and reviewed judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had interaction in Judge Manley’s court. Judge Manley ranked considerably higher in his performance scores compared to other county court judges. Among the survey questions asked, “Based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Manley meets judicial performance standards?” Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 100% answered yes. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 100% answered yes. A total of ten attorneys and fourteen non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Manley.
Judge Manley has been appointed to the County Court since 2004. He serves Otero County and is a municipal judge in many of the smaller towns located in Otero, Bent and Crowley counties. He graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in political science. He received his law degree from the University of Colorado. Judge Manley is very active in community service and is a deacon at a local church.
2018 retention · County Court · Otero County
55 percentile · rank 31 of 71
composite 0100
54 percentile · rank 58 of 128
composite 0100
64 48th percentile among peers · 48th percentile statewide
4130
Composite index 52.58 among peers (52.86 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.38 of 4 · 23.24 percentile
2.593.90
3.46 of 4 · 41.55 percentile
2.593.90
100.00% 92.96 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.62
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.32
- Say “meets standards”
- 83.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.43median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.41median 3.38 | 3.38 | |
| Communications | 3.44median 3.58 | 3.58 | |
| Diligence | 3.56median 3.42 | 3.42 | |
| Demeanor | 3.53median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Fairness | 3.37median 3.60 | 3.60 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Judicial Performance Commission for the 16th Judicial District finds by a unanimous vote of 10-0 that the Honorable Douglas R. Manley MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Manley received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver and his law degree from the University of Colorado. Judge Manley served as deputy district attorney from 1978 until 1982 and maintained a private practice from 1982 until his appointment as Otero County Judge in 2004. As a part-time judge, Judge Manley is able to maintain a small private practice and serve as municipal judge in many neighboring communities. Judge Manley is active in the community and serves as a deacon at the local Catholic Church.
In reaching this decision, the Commission reviewed Judicial Performance Survey Reports gathered from attorneys and non-attorneys who appeared in front of Judge Manley between 2014 and 2017. The Commission also considered comments from the district attorney and office head of the La Junta Regional Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, held a public hearing, reviewed written materials from Judge Manley, and examined case statistics for the Otero County Court. Further, Commission members engaged in courtroom observation and conducted an interview with Judge Manley. In the Survey Report, respondents gave Judge Manley an overall grade of 3.38 on a 4.0 scale, with attorneys giving Judge Manley a grade of 3.62 and non-attorneys giving a grade of 3.32. Of the 64 survey respondents who agreed that they had worked with Judge Manley enough to evaluate his performance, 86% believed that Judge Manley meets the performance standards, while 9% felt he did not meet the performance standards, and 5% offered no opinion. The Commission notes the small sample size of 64 qualified responses out of 1,119 surveys that were mailed to potential respondents.
Judge Manley continues to impress the Commission and survey respondents with his legal knowledge and the thoroughness of both his oral and written orders. Further, Judge Manley’s compassionate demeanor in the courtroom strikes an appropriate balance between giving proceedings a sense of dignity while also showing respect for litigants. Judge Manley’s actions since his last evaluation are testament to his willingness to accept constructive criticism by this Commission and adopt new practices that have made him a superior judge and an asset to the legal community. The Commission noted that survey respondents continue to express difficulty hearing Judge Manley at times, which appears to have as much to do with the layout and acoustics of the courtroom as it does with Judge Manley’s somewhat soft-spoken demeanor. The Commission appreciates Judge Manley’s willingness to take on additional responsibilities such as mentoring a non-lawyer county court judge in the district, training other judges on case management strategies, and being on-call to sign warrants for law enforcement officers for 3 months out of the year despite his position being only part-time. Overall, the Commission is pleased with Judge Manley’s performance and believes he is an asset to the community.