2026 retention · County Court · Weld County
20 percentile · rank 29 of 36
composite 0100
19 percentile · rank 87 of 108
composite 0100
18 33rd percentile among peers · 24th percentile statewide
1060
Composite index 26.85 among peers (24.69 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
2.80 of 4 · 19.44 percentile
1.903.80
2.87 of 4 · 19.44 percentile
1.873.75
78.00% 41.67 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 78.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 88.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 2.70median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 2.70median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Communications | 3.00median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Diligence | 2.70median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Demeanor | 3.20median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 2.90median 3.10 | 3.10 |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | 3.00 | 3.20 | 3.30 | 3.20 | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Responses | 22 | 34 | 44 | 29 | 24 | 14 |
Commission: meets standards (8–0)
The Nineteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by vote of 8-0, with two commissioners absent, that Judge Dana Nichols MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Nichols currently presides over a County Court criminal docket in Weld County, Colorado. The Commission evaluated her performance on the following statutory criteria: integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public. The Commission based its conclusions on observing Judge Nichols in court, a personal interview, reviewing survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had been involved in cases in her courtroom, feedback received from the District Attorney’s Office and Office of the Public Defender, and reviewing a transcript, Court Order, and Appellate Order regarding a decision of the court. The Commission found that Judge Nichols was satisfactory in each of the statutory criteria, with 78% of attorneys and 88% of non-attorneys finding that Judge Nichols meets performance standards.
Judge Nichols received notable remarks for her demeanor on the bench and communication. She is observed to have a good judicial temperament and treats those who appears in her courtroom with kindness and respect. The Commission notes feedback suggesting Judge Nichols needs improvement in her legal knowledge, specifically ensuring her opinions are supported by the appropriate legal authority. Judge Nichols was receptive to this feedback, acknowledging that she needs to balance her use of plain language which facilitates clear understanding, to her obligation to safeguard the record with supporting legal authority. The Commission also acknowledges Judge Nichols’ contribution to the legal profession as a leader in the formation of a specialized Competency Court docket to help address mental health issues in County Court. Judge Nichols described this effort as a substantial undertaking but something that has been very important and rewarding. Her commitment to this endeavor is of great service to the legal profession and community.
Judge Nichols was appointed to the Weld County Court bench in 2007. Before her appointment, she served as a Deputy Public Defender for nearly 10 years in the Greeley, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs trial offices, as well as the Appellate division. She also spent three years in private civil practice in Denver with the firm of Kennedy & Christopher, P.C. Judge Nichols obtained her law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law and has an undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Colorado State University. Judge Nichols is a member of the County Court Judges Association (past president) and the Weld Chapter of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association. She previously served on state committees for the Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Colorado Senior Judge Program. She has authored chapters for the Colorado DUI Bench book. She currently serves on the Board for North Range Behavioral Health. Judge Nichols is currently assigned to Division 9, hearing all types of County Court cases including civil disputes, domestic violence, and DUI cases, and presiding over the Competency Court docket.
2022 retention · County Court · Weld County
22 percentile · rank 46 of 59
composite 0100
30 percentile · rank 93 of 134
composite 0100
48 70th percentile among peers · 54th percentile statewide
4108
Composite index 26.55 among peers (36.19 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.30 of 4 · 14.41 percentile
2.503.90
3.28 of 4 · 13.56 percentile
2.453.93
90.00% 51.69 percentile
50.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 90.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 75.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.40median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.00median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.40median 3.70 | 3.70 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Demeanor | 3.30median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 3.20median 3.50 | 3.50 |
Commission: meets standards (7–0)
The Nineteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance finds the Honorable Dana Nichols Meets Performance Standards. Seven members of the Commission voted that Judge Nichols met judicial performance standards, with three members absent. 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.
Commissioners had the opportunity to personally observe Judge Nichols, who presides over civil, criminal, misdemeanor, and traffic matters in Weld County Court. Judge Nichols general demeanor is described as respectful, patient, and cordial to all present in her courtroom both to non-attorneys and attorneys. Through her legal volunteer work and her role on the Colorado Criminal Rules of Procedure Committee, Judge Nichols remains current in law. She is concise, clearly understood, and demonstrates both compassion and consistent application of the law. She presents a clear understanding of legal knowledge but is sometimes challenged with docket management. Many commissioners commented that Judge Nichols is an extremely hard worker and would benefit from managing her court docket in a timely manner. The Commission agreed that Judge Nichols meets performance standards based on these findings.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Nichols; we reviewed the collected judicial survey responses from both attorneys and non-attorneys, reviewed opinions she authored, observed her in court, and reviewed her self-assessment. Based on the responses from attorneys when asked if Judge Nichols meets judicial performance standards, 90% of attorneys agreed she met the performance standards. And 75% of non-attorneys believed she met the performance standards.
Judge Nichols obtained her law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law and has an undergraduate degree in biological science from Colorado State University. Judge Nichols was appointed to the County Court bench in 2007. She served as a Deputy Public Defender for nearly 10 years in the Greeley, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and the State Appellate offices. She also spent three years in private civil practice in Denver with the firm of Kennedy & Christopher, P.C. Judge Nichols currently serves on committees for the Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Senior Judge Program. She is also a chapter author for the Colorado DUI Bench book. Judge Nichols is currently assigned to Division 9, hearing all types of county court cases, including civil disputes, domestic violence, and DUI cases.
2018 retention · County Court · Weld County
45 percentile · rank 39 of 71
composite 0100
44 percentile · rank 72 of 128
composite 0100
68 52nd percentile among peers · 51st percentile statewide
4130
Composite index 47.65 among peers (45.57 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.49 of 4 · 44.37 percentile
2.593.90
3.49 of 4 · 50.00 percentile
2.593.90
82.00% 48.59 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.44
- Say “meets standards”
- 82.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.50
- Say “meets standards”
- 80.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.73median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.33median 3.38 | 3.38 | |
| Communications | 3.67median 3.58 | 3.58 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.42 | 3.42 | |
| Demeanor | 3.38median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Fairness | 3.43median 3.60 | 3.60 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Nineteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (10-0) agrees that Judge Dana Nichols MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Nichols was appointed to the Weld County Court in August 2007. Prior to appointment, Judge Nichols served as a Deputy Public Defender for nearly 10 years in Greeley, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and the Colorado State Appellate offices. She spent three years in private civil practice in Denver. Judge Nichols received her undergraduate degree in biological science from Colorado State University and obtained her law degree from the University of Colorado. Judge Nichols is past president of the County Court Judges Association and remains current in all areas of the law by attending the State Judicial Conferences and the Weld County Bar Association Nuts & Bolts Seminars. She serves as liaison for the 19th Judicial District to the Judicial Education Committee. She currently serves on the Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure Committee and the County Court Judges Weighted Caseload Study Committee. In addition, she authors articles for the Colorado DUI Benchbook each year. Her community service includes speaking at high school and college classes and assisting with the high school moot court competitions.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Nichols, reviewed opinions she had authored, observed her in court and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had experience with Judge Nichols. Among the survey questions was “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you believe Judge Nichols meets the judicial performance standards? Of the attorneys responding 82% answered yes, Judge Nichols meets performance standards, and 18% answered no, Judge Nichols does not meet performance standards. Of the non-attorneys answering the survey 80% answered yes, Judge Nichols meets performance standards, 9% answered no Judge Nichols does not meet performance standards and 11% had no opinion. A total of 11 attorneys and 57 non-attorneys responded to the survey expressing their opinion of Judge Nichols’s performance.
During this term, Judge Nichols has presided primarily over traffic and misdemeanor dockets with a small percentage of civil and criminal cases. Attorneys gave Judge Nichols high marks in case management, and communications and slightly lower marks for application and knowledge of law, demeanor, fairness and diligence. Non-attorneys gave Judge Nichols consistently high marks in all categories. Judge Nichols believes the courts should be accessible, fair, and humane for everyone who enters the judicial system and during her interview with the Commissioners, expressed her ideal wish was that everyone would be able to afford or have access to legal representation. Based on these findings the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Nichols meets judicial performance standards.