Timothy J. Schutz

Commission: meets standards (10–0)

The State Commission on Judicial Performance finds that Judge Timothy J. Schutz MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, by a vote of 10-0 with one recusal. Colorado’s statutory judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, and service to the legal profession and the public.

Judge Schutz has been on the Colorado Court of Appeals since January 2022, and this is his first time standing for retention as a Court of Appeals Judge. The Commission finds that his opinions are thoughtful, organized, and well-written. At oral argument he has an excellent judicial demeanor, engages with questions, and is conscientious of all parties. The Commission commends Judge Schutz especially for his extraordinary service to the Access to Justice Commission and his efforts on issues surrounding race and the justice system. In sum, the Commission finds judge Schutz is a valuable addition to the Court of Appeals.

To conduct its evaluation, the Commission interviewed Judge Schutz, reviewed his self-evaluation, observed oral arguments, read a selection of his legal opinions, and considered survey responses from attorneys and judges. Survey respondents agreed Judge Schutz meets judicial performance standards. 78% of attorneys and 94% of judges who responded to that question answered “yes.” He received an overall score of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Judge Schutz received positive comments from lawyers with respect to his courteous and empathetic demeanor during oral arguments, and from fellow judges especially with respect to the valuable perspective that he brings as a former trial court judge. A total of 19 attorneys and 31 judges responded to the survey.

Judge Schutz earned his undergraduate degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and his law degree from the University of North Dakota. He started his career at the law firm of Holland & Hart. Later he practiced at the law firm of Hanes & Schutz in the areas of intellectual property, civil litigation, land use disputes, and the representation of special districts. After two decades in private practice, Judge Schutz was appointed to the District Court for the Fourth Judicial District (El Paso County Colorado) as a trial court judge, and for eleven years he managed active criminal, civil, juvenile, and domestic cases. Judge Schutz is a champion for race equality in our justice system.

State evaluation page · 2024 survey report (PDF)

Commission: meets standards (7–0)

The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (7-0) agrees that District Judge Timothy Schutz MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Schutz was appointed to the El Paso County District Court in 2010. He received his undergraduate degree from Moorhead State University in 1984 in Psychology and Political Science. Judge Schutz graduated from the University of North Dakota law school in 1987. After law school, Judge Schutz was in private practice in Colorado Springs concentrating his practice in the areas of civil litigation, intellectual property and in the resolution of land use disputes. Judge Schutz served as President of the El Paso County Bar Association in 2004. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Legal Aid Foundation, and served on the Judicial Performance Commission. Additionally, he has been involved with the Pikes Peak Pro Bono Project, the Access to Justice Commission, American Inns of Court, and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. The Commission commends Judge Schutz for his extensive volunteer work in our community.

The Commission interviewed Judge Schutz, observed him in Court, and reviewed his self-evaluation, a number of the Judge’s written decisions, and responses from attorneys and non-attorneys to a survey regarding the performance of Judge Schutz on the El Paso County District Court. Of attorneys responding to the survey, 79% answered yes, Judge Schutz meets performance standards, 13% answered no, does not meet performance standards and 8% had no opinion. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey 78% answered yes, Judge Schutz meets performance standards, 13% answered no, does not meet performance standards and 9% had no opinion. Since 2016, Judge Schutz’s docket has consisted of domestic relations cases, and dependency and neglect cases. Previously, Judge Schutz handled civil and criminal cases. In response to the survey, attorneys found Judge Schutz to be above average in the areas of case management, demeanor and diligence. Judge Schutz scored at about the average of other District Court Judges in the areas of application and knowledge of the law, and communications. Non-attorneys scored Judge Schutz slightly lower than attorneys. The Commission observes that these lower scores may result from the fact that Judge Schutz handles cases in the emotionally charged areas of divorce and dependency and neglect. Notwithstanding the slight variance in scoring by attorneys and non-attorneys, both attorneys and non-attorneys think Judge Schutz meets judicial performance standards. Judges on the Colorado Court of Appeals rated Judge Schutz’s overall performance as a District Judge to be excellent. Judge Schutz is particularly adept at explaining his rulings to the parties. Additionally, his written opinions are thorough and extremely well written. The Commission believes that Judge Schutz has and is performing well, and that he meets performance standards for an El Paso County District Court Judge.

State evaluation page · 2018 survey report (PDF)