Bonnie Heather McLean

Commission: meets standards (7–0)

The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 7-0, with three Commissioners absent from voting, that Judge Bonnie Heather McLean MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge McLean is the Presiding Judge for the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Dockets and the Problem-Solving Courts. Judge McLean’s strengths include her experience with and dedication to specialty courts, her pragmatic approach, her compassion to all parties and participants, and her leadership on the bench. Those who interact with Judge McLean describe her as respectful, empathetic, kind, passionate, and hard-working, Commission members noted Judge McLean’s passion for and commitment to the District’s Specialty Courts in courtroom observations and during her interview. Judge McLean is praised for treating everyone with dignity and respect, managing a busy docket, and appropriately issuing sentences. In addition to her extensive service to the legal profession, Judge McLean avoids impropriety, applies the law and rules fairly, communicates clearly, and efficiently manages her docket. Based on these findings the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge McLean meets performance standards.

In addition to meeting with Chief Judge Amico, the Commission interviewed members of the District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office and Probation regarding their interactions with and impressions of Judge McLean’s performance. Survey responses reviewed from both attorneys and non-attorneys praised Judge McLean’s communication skills, temperament, and control of her docket. In her interview with the Commission, Judge McLean acknowledged the few criticisms in her surveys constructively, with a plan on how to improve her communication and managing her busy docket and mentoring schedule. Judge McLean’s surveys reflected feedback on her Case Management, Application and Knowledge of the Law, Communications, Diligence, Demeanor, and Fairness. Of the forty-two (42) completed surveys returned Judge McLean achieved an overall performance rating of 3.6 of a possible 4.0. Her ratings for meeting performance standards from attorneys was 85% and 94% from non-attorneys.

Judge McLean was appointed in 2015. She graduated cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder and earned her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Prior to her appointment, Judge McLean served as a County Court Magistrate for the Eighteenth Judicial District, presiding over specialty courts. Judge McLean worked as a Deputy District Attorney in the Eighteenth Judicial District before becoming a magistrate. Her public service was recognized by the Arapahoe County Bar Association in 2022. She is a member of the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline and Chair of the Arapahoe County Domestic Relations Best Practice Team.

State evaluation page · 2024 survey report (PDF)

Commission: meets standards (10–0)

The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (10-0) agrees that Judge Bonnie Heather McLean MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge McLean was appointed as a District Court Judge in the Eighteenth Judicial District in January 2014. Judge McLean was born and raised in the Denver and graduated from the University of Colorado in three years before attending the University of Denver Law School. Graduating in 2000, she became a Deputy District Attorney in the 18th Judicial District, where she soon rose to Senior Deputy DA in charge of the Juvenile Unit. McLean was appointed a magistrate in 2006 and in 2010 moved to the Juvenile Delinquency Division. In 2011 she helped develop the 18th District first Drug Court and later took over the District’s mental health courts. In 2012 she won the Judicial Officer of the Year award from the State of Colorado and the 2012 Magistrate of the Year award from the Colorado Judicial Institute.

The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge McLean, reviewed opinions she authored, observed her in court, reviewed comments received from interested parties, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had experience with Judge McLean. Among the survey questions was, "based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge McLean meets judicial performance standards?" Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 85% answered yes, meets performance standards, 8% answered no, does not meet performance standards, and 7% had no opinion regarding whether Judge McLean meets or does not meet performance standards. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 80% answered yes, meets performance standards, 16% answered no, does not meet performance standards, and 4% had no opinion regarding whether Judge McLean meets or does not meet performance standards. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding). Sixty-four attorneys and fifty-one non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinions of Judge McLean’s performance. Judge McLean may be one of the hardest working judges in Arapahoe County. Judge McLean presides over the specialty courts which include Truancy Court, Veterans Court, Mental Health Court, Recovery Court, ACE Court and Domestic Court. She is described as caring, sensitive, empathetic, compassionate, smart, fair and knowledgeable of the law. Her weakness, based upon the evaluations, seems to be leaving the parties with a sense of being hurried and therefore not being allowed to present their case. There were also concerns expressed regarding the clarity of the Court’s orders. Judge McLean takes these comments to heart and has implemented a new system for hearing domestic matters, which should allow the parties more time to present their cases fully. Judge McLean’s legal opinions reflect her extensive knowledge and understanding of the law. Based on these findings, the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge McLean meets judicial performance standards.

State evaluation page · 2018 survey report (PDF)