2024 retention · County Court · Pueblo County
54 percentile · rank 22 of 47
composite 0100
56 percentile · rank 47 of 107
composite 0100
39 78th percentile among peers · 60th percentile statewide
671
Composite index 52.84 among peers (55.76 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.20 of 4 · 36.17 percentile
2.103.80
3.15 of 4 · 28.72 percentile
2.173.75
100.00% 93.62 percentile
27.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 53.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 2.90median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 3.20median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Demeanor | 3.00median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 3.00median 3.20 | 3.20 |
Commission: meets standards (6–0)
The Tenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 6-0 with two commissioners absent and two vacancies that Judge Roberto Silva MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Silva presides over civil matters, including protection orders, evictions, money disputes, and other general civil cases in Pueblo County, Colorado. Judge Silva's courtroom demeanor is consistently firm but respectful and fair. He is committed to ensuring that all pro se litigants who appear in his court understand the procedure in the courtroom to ensure fairness. Judge Silva has excellent command of his courtroom and manages his caseload in an efficient manner. His written and oral rulings are clear, concise, well-reasoned and demonstrative of his vast legal knowledge.
The Commission also appreciates Judge Silva's candor with the Commission, his humility, his openness to feedback and his commitment to continually engage in self-reflection and efforts to enhance his performance. Based on these findings, the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Silva meets performance standards. The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Silva, reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, reviewed his self-evaluation survey, interviewed the Chief Judge and reviewed judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had interacted in Judge Silva's court. Among the survey questions asked, one was, "Based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Silva meets judicial performance standards?" Of the 19 attorneys responding to the question, 100% answered yes. Of the 17 non-attorneys responding to the survey, 53% answered yes, 41% answered no, and 6% indicated no opinion. A total of twenty-one attorneys and eighteen non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Silva. However, based on the small number of survey responses, these results may not be statistically significant.
Judge Silva was appointed to the County Court in 2018. Prior to his appointment, he had served as the Managing Attorney for Colorado Legal Services' Pueblo office since 1999, representing indigent individuals in civil proceedings. He also served as an attorney with Pikes Peak Arkansas River Legal Aid from 1998 until 1999 and as a Deputy District Attorney with the 16th Judicial District from 1996 until 1998. Judge Silva earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1977 and his Juris Doctorate from Cornell University in 1992. Judge Silva also serves on the Tenth Judicial District Access to Justice Committee.
2020 retention · County Court · Pueblo County
85 percentile · rank 6 of 37
composite 0100
87 percentile · rank 13 of 100
composite 0100
28 45th percentile among peers · 37th percentile statewide
380
Composite index 84.23 among peers (87.33 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.70 of 4 · 77.03 percentile
1.504.00
3.78 of 4 · 85.14 percentile
1.503.95
100.00% 90.54 percentile
0.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.80median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.70median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Diligence | 3.70median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.80median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Fairness | 4.00median 3.90 | 3.90 |
Commission: meets standards (9–0)
The Tenth Judicial Performance Commission unanimously (9-0) agrees that Judge Roberto A. Silva MEETS OR EXCEEDS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
The commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Silva, reviewed his judicial opinions and self-evaluation, performed courtroom observations, interviewed local agencies and considered the results of the 2020 Judicial Performance Survey Report and Case Management Reports. On the Judicial Performance Survey, surveyed attorneys had a sufficient response rate from those who had experience with Judge Silva. There was not a sufficient response rate from non-attorneys surveyed, there being only one such response. Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 100% indicated that Judge Silva meets performance standards. The one responding non-attorney also believed that Judge Silva meets performance standards.
Judge Silva presided over mostly civil cases with some county court criminal cases during 2019. Survey respondents rated him higher than comparable Judges overall in case management, application of knowledge of law, communications, diligence, demeanor and fairness. Survey Respondents also rated Judge Silva higher than comparable Judges overall in issuing decisions, maintaining appropriate control over proceedings, promptly ruling on pre-trial motions and setting reasonable schedules for cases. Commission members found courtroom observations validated these survey findings for the most part. Judge Silva strives to be as fair as possible to everyone. His docket consists mainly of unrepresented litigants. He feels it can be difficult at times guiding them through the process without appearing to be an advocate to them. To ensure he issues a sound decision, he thoroughly reviews the case pleadings, the pertinent statutes, and case law prior to court sessions and then meticulously reviews the facts of the case prior to issuing decisions. Judge Silva cooperates with other judges very well and is willing to help them out and asks for help or assistance when he needs. He gives credit to his staff for helping him be efficient managing his cases and docket.
Judge Silva was appointed to the bench by Governor John Hickenlooper on September 14, 2018 and took the bench on October 15, 2018. From 1999 until appointment, Silva served as the managing attorney of the Pueblo office of Colorado Legal Services. Before that, he worked as an attorney with Pikes Peak Arkansas River Legal Aid, as Deputy District Attorney with the 16th Judicial District and as a staff attorney with Pueblo County Legal Services. Silva earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1977 and his law degree from Cornell University in 1992.