2026 retention · County Court · Prowers County
66 percentile · rank 12 of 36
composite 0100
63 percentile · rank 39 of 108
composite 0100
13 15th percentile among peers · 9th percentile statewide
1060
Composite index 61.57 among peers (61.27 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.40 of 4 · 70.83 percentile
1.903.80
3.32 of 4 · 56.94 percentile
1.873.75
86.00% 56.94 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 86.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 80.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.20median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Communications | 3.40median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Demeanor | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 3.20median 3.10 | 3.10 |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | 3.50 | 3.70 | 3.60 | 3.60 | 3.50 | 3.70 |
| Responses | 12 | 17 | 28 | 31 | 14 | 12 |
Commission: meets standards (6–0)
The Fifteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance finds, based upon a unanimous vote of 6-0, with four commission vacancies, that Judge Curtis Lane Porter MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado judicial performance standards on which judges are evaluated are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Porter serves on the County Court Bench and presides over misdemeanors, traffic, and civil matters in Prowers County, Colorado. The Commission finds that Judge Porter meets or exceeds expectations in all areas. Judge Porter treats everyone in his courtroom with respect, he applies the law consistently and fairly, and he has a strong knowledge of the law applicable to the cases over which he presides. His dockets continue to run smoothly and efficiently. Based upon previous feedback, Judge Porter has taken steps to improve on the delay in issuing written orders, so that his orders are now generally issued timelier, while still being well-written, organized, and thorough. It is based upon these findings that the Commission agrees that Judge Porter meets performance standards.
In reaching its vote, the Commission reviewed Judge Porter’s self-evaluation and his written opinions, conducted a personal interview with Judge Porter, met with the Chief Judge of the district, considered comments from the District Attorney and Public Defender’s offices, conducted courtroom observations, and reviewed Judicial Performance Survey results. Generally, the Commission found the survey responses consistent with their own independent evaluations, with Judge Porter overall scoring above average in all areas according to survey responses.
Judge Porter was appointed to the Prowers County Court bench in June of 2016. Before this appointment, Judge Porter served as a Deputy District Attorney for the Fifteenth Judicial District, which is how he began his legal career. Judge Porter received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in 2005 and went on to earn his law degree from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 2008. In addition to his work on the bench as a judge in Prowers County Court, Judge Porter also serves as municipal court judge for both Wiley and Lamar, Colorado.
2022 retention · County Court · Prowers County
53 percentile · rank 28 of 59
composite 0100
65 percentile · rank 47 of 134
composite 0100
30 32nd percentile among peers · 19th percentile statewide
4108
Composite index 55.37 among peers (64.43 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.60 of 4 · 63.56 percentile
2.503.90
3.63 of 4 · 71.19 percentile
2.453.93
86.00% 31.36 percentile
50.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 86.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 94.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.60median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.40median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.80median 3.70 | 3.70 | |
| Diligence | 3.60median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Demeanor | 3.80median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 3.60median 3.50 | 3.50 |
Commission: meets standards (7–0)
The Fifteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously finds that the Honorable Curtis “Lane” Porter MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS by a vote of 7 – 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.
After conducting significant research on Judge Porter’s performance, the Commission finds that Judge Porter exceeds expectations in most areas. His dockets run smoothly and efficiently, he has a solid understanding and knowledge of the law, applies the law fairly and consistently, and he treats everyone who enters his courtroom with dignity and respect. The Commission notes that one area where Judge Porter could improve is how quickly he issues written orders. While his orders are well-written, organized, and thorough, they are often issued later than the parties expect. Judge Porter acknowledged that at times his orders are delayed due to complicated issues and taking time to thoroughly review the law before issuing his order. Judge Porter has demonstrated his willingness to work on improving in this area.
Prior to holding its vote, the Commission reviewed the self-evaluation and written opinions authored by Judge Porter; the 2021 Interim and 2022 Judicial Performance Survey results; comments from the District Attorney and Public Defender’s Offices; and also conducted courtroom observations and a personal interview with Judge Porter. Based on 30 individuals who completed surveys, including both attorneys (9) and non-attorneys (21), Judge Porter’s performance scores ranked higher than the scores for all County Judges in all areas, which include case management, application and knowledge of law, communications, demeanor, diligence and fairness. In comparing responses from the 2022 Survey to those from the 2021 Interim Survey, the Commission noted that scores in the areas of Communications and Demeanor had increased from the Interim Survey to the 2022 Performance Survey, while scores in the areas of Case Management, Application and Knowledge of the Law, Diligence, and Fairness had slightly decreased but remain higher than the average score for all County Court Judges across the state. When asked in the survey if Judge Porter meets judicial performance standards, 86% of the attorneys responded that Judge Porter does meet judicial performance standards with 14% having no opinion. Of the non-attorneys who were asked the same question, 94% responded that Judge Porter meets judicial performance standards and 6% responded that he does not meet performance standards.
Judge Porter was appointed to Prowers County Court on June 9, 2016. Prior to his appointment, Judge Porter served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Fifteenth Judicial District beginning in 2009. Judge Porter earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in 2005 and law degree from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 2008.
2018 retention · County Court · Prowers County
65 percentile · rank 25 of 71
composite 0100
66 percentile · rank 43 of 128
composite 0100
40 20th percentile among peers · 15th percentile statewide
4130
Composite index 63.15 among peers (63.54 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 · 52.11 percentile
2.593.90
100.00% 92.96 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.48
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Overall grade
- 3.50
- Say “meets standards”
- 89.00%
| 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 | 3.38median 3.38 | 3.38 | |
| Communications | 3.56median 3.58 | 3.58 | |
| Diligence | 3.51median 3.42 | 3.42 | |
| Demeanor | 3.50median 3.49 | 3.49 | |
| Fairness | 3.49median 3.60 | 3.60 |
Commission: meets standards
The Fifteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees that Judge Curtis Lane Porter MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Porter was appointed to Prowers County Court June 9, 2016. Prior to his appointment, Judge Porter served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Fifteenth Judicial District beginning in 2009. Judge Porter earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in 2005 and law degree from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 2008.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Porter, reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, reviewed comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had experience with Judge Porter. Among the survey questions was “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Porter meets judicial performance standards?” Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 100% answered, yes, meets performance standards. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 89% answered yes, meets performance standards, 7% answered no, does not meet performance standards, and 4% had no opinion regarding whether Judge Porter meets or does not meet performance standards. A total of ten attorneys and thirty non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinions of Judge Porter’s performance.
Judge Porter’s caseload consists of misdemeanor, traffic, civil, small claims and less than 1% felony criminal matters. Based on the Commission’s overall evaluation Judge Porter has demonstrated he meets or exceeds performance standards in all categories. Attorneys responding to the surveys rated Judge Porter higher in all categories overall compared to all county judges. The one area in which attorney surveys ranked Judge Porter slightly lower was promptly ruling on pre-trial motions, where he scored 3.3 compared to 3.9 for all county judges. Non-attorneys responding to the survey scored Judge Porter substantially the same in comparison to all county judges in the application of law, diligence, communication, fairness, and demeanor. Non-attorney responses indicated Judge Porter exceeded all county judges in overall case management and scored equal to all county judges in using appropriate control of proceedings and language that everyone can understand. Judge Porter is described as being knowledgeable, professional, and treating all defendants and prosecutors in the same respectful manner. His courtroom is cited as a great balance between the dignity of the court and respect for the humanity of the people before him. Judge Porter’s opinions reflect his knowledge of the law and his logical and understandable communication style. Based on these findings the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Porter meets judicial performance standards.