2026 retention · District Court · 1st Judicial District
35 percentile · rank 42 of 65
composite 0100
31 percentile · rank 74 of 108
composite 0100
24 42nd percentile among peers · 44th percentile statewide
1054
Composite index 36.67 among peers (34.88 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.10 of 4 · 41.54 percentile
2.103.80
3.13 of 4 · 46.15 percentile
2.073.82
71.00% 22.31 percentile
25.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 71.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 88.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 2.90median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.00median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.10median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Demeanor | 3.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 3.20median 3.10 | 3.10 |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | 2.90 | 3.20 | 3.10 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.10 |
| Responses | 31 | 44 | 46 | 41 | 37 | 39 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Judge Tamara S. Russell MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
During most of this term, Judge Russell presided over a mixed docket including criminal, civil, and domestic relations cases. However, in February of 2026, Judge Russell’s docket switched to an all-criminal docket. Judge Russell is a highly experienced Judge and is noted to be balanced and respectful to both attorneys and litigants in her courtroom. She strives to treat each person in her courtroom equally with dignity, respect, and fairness. She demonstrates a good command of the law and the rules of evidence, and her orders are typically well-reasoned and detailed. She stays current with changes in the law, something she prioritizes and makes significant effort to do. Judge Russell aims to balance her efforts to manage court time effectively and efficiently with her judicial philosophy of allowing all parties to fully state their positions in her courtroom and be heard. Even if a litigant disagrees with her rulings, she works to have the parties feel that they are understood and that they, in turn, understand her rulings. This aim has, at times, potentially come at the expense of docket management, a component of her performance that she continues to hone.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Russell, reviewed orders she authored, observed her in court, reviewed the 2020-2025 judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys appearing before her, received feedback from the Chief Judge of the District, as well as the District Attorney and Public Defender Office Head. The 2026 survey results had a very limited number of responses, but a significant majority of attorneys and non-attorneys opined that Judge Russell meets performance standards. 11 appellate judges responded to the performance survey and rated Judge Russell highly (3.5 out of 4.0).
Judge Russell was raised in rural Indiana and graduated from Indiana University with honors. She attended CU Law School and graduated in 1987. Most of her career has been spent in the courtroom; she worked for an insurance defense firm after law school and then became a deputy district attorney in Adams County. Subsequently, she became Chief Deputy City Attorney in Lakewood, Colorado, which lasted until she was appointed to the Jefferson County District Court bench on October 1, 2005.
2020 retention · District Court · 1st Judicial District
7 percentile · rank 55 of 59
composite 0100
7 percentile · rank 93 of 100
composite 0100
31 37th percentile among peers · 44th percentile statewide
1488
Composite index 8.76 among peers (8.67 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
2.90 of 4 · 5.93 percentile
2.203.90
3.10 of 4 · 11.02 percentile
2.423.88
66.00% 9.32 percentile
39.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 66.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.00median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 2.80median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.10median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Diligence | 2.60median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.10median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 4.00median 4.00 | 4.00 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Judge Tamara Russell MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Russell presides over a mixed docket including criminal, civil and domestic relations cases. Judge Russell is fair and respectful with both attorneys and litigants in her courtroom. She is a good communicator, polite, and professional. Judge Russell prepares in advance for hearings and is decisive. She is a very experienced judge and demonstrates a good command of the law and the rules of evidence. Her oral and written rulings are well-reasoned and detailed. Judge Russell manages trials well, and juries appreciate her pleasant demeanor. She is patient and courteous with her court staff. At times, Judge Russell may be unduly casual in the courtroom, leading to delays. While well-intended, Judge Russell sometimes acknowledges victims of crime in open court, contrary to their desire to remain anonymous. Judge Russell believes that ensuring the fair and equal treatment of all those who appear in her courtroom is one of the most important aspects of her job.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Russell, reviewed opinions she authored, observed her in court, reviewed the 2014, 2017 and 2019 judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys appearing before her, as well as feedback from the chief judge, the District Attorney and Chief Public Defender. Judge Russell is recognized as the “go-to” person for the problem-solving court where she presided from January 2014 to October 2019. Unfortunately, no survey results exist for the problem-solving court. Therefore, the 2019 survey results, with only 30 attorneys and one non-attorney respondent and an overall grade of 2.9 (out of 4.0), are not reflective of her performance during most of this review period. The Commission reviewed Judge Russell’s 2014 and 2017 evaluations which covered her tenure on the problem-solving court, and which included a reasonable number of respondents. On her 2014 and 2017 evaluations, Judge Russell received overall scores of 3.6. and 3.54 (out of 4.0) with 86 percent and 84 percent meets performance standards, respectively.
Judge Russell was appointed to the First Judicial District Court in October 2005. Before her appointment, she served for eight years as Lakewood’s Chief Deputy Attorney. She has served the community as the vice-chairperson of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, as a member of the oversight committee for a grant received by the Jefferson Center for Mental Health, and as judge liaison for Sex Offender Intensive Supervision Probation. She has given presentations on law-related topics to diverse community groups and has been an active supporter of an area women’s shelter. Judge Russell received a psychology degree from the University of Indiana and, in 1987, a law degree from the University of Colorado.