2026 retention · District Court · 4th Judicial District
25 percentile · rank 49 of 65
composite 0100
26 percentile · rank 80 of 108
composite 0100
12 6th percentile among peers · 6th percentile statewide
1054
Composite index 29.74 among peers (30.56 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
2.40 of 4 · 2.31 percentile
2.103.80
2.40 of 4 · 2.31 percentile
2.073.82
100.00% 84.62 percentile
25.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 50.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 2.50median 3.20 | 3.20 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 2.30median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Communications | 2.50median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Diligence | 2.50median 3.10 | 3.10 | |
| Demeanor | 2.30median 3.30 | 3.30 | |
| Fairness | 2.30median 3.10 | 3.10 |
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | 3.50 | 3.60 | 3.40 | 3.30 | 3.20 | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Responses | 70 | 43 | 57 | 66 | 90 | 47 | 8 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Chief Judge Erin Lynn Sokol MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
During this term, Judge Sokol has presided over both domestic relations and felony criminal dockets. She currently presides over a felony criminal docket in addition to her administrative responsibilities as Chief Judge. Chief Judge Sokol’s demeanor is described as respectful and dignified. She is clear with her answers to confusing and difficult issues. Her written decisions are also clear and professionally written. Her judicial temperament is particularly calm in demanding situations. Chief Judge Sokol spends time tracking new developments in the law, while also expanding her practical and legal knowledge. In addition to all her judicial responsibilities, she reliably completes all her administrative duties as Chief Judge of the district. Based on these findings, the Commission unanimously agrees that Chief Judge Erin Sokol meets performance standards.
The Commission members observed these qualities during the evaluation period. They met with representatives of the District Attorney’s and Public Defender’s offices for feedback on her performance. The Commission also interviewed Chief Judge Sokol, reviewed opinions she has written, and observed her in court. Surveys were collected, but due to low completion rates, no surveys were provided to the Commission.
Chief Judge Sokol was appointed to the District Court on August 1, 2017. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1996 and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. Before joining the bench, she practiced law in private firms in Washington, D.C. and Colorado Springs. Since her appointment, she has presided over civil, domestic relations, and felony criminal dockets. She was appointed to the role of Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial District in early 2024 and continues to serve in that role to date. Chief Judge Sokol has been active locally by giving presentations to Leadership Pikes Peak, school groups, the Girl Scouts, college students, the El Paso County Citizen College, and other community organizations and groups. She has also volunteered to preside over high school and college mock-trial competitions, as well as Teen Court trials among other community service activities.
2020 retention · District Court · 4th Judicial District
78 percentile · rank 13 of 59
composite 0100
77 percentile · rank 23 of 100
composite 0100
45 66th percentile among peers · 76th percentile statewide
1488
Composite index 77.97 among peers (75.67 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.60 of 4 · 73.73 percentile
2.203.90
3.65 of 4 · 74.58 percentile
2.423.88
95.00% 85.59 percentile
39.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 95.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.60median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.60median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.70median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.80median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 3.80median 4.00 | 4.00 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Fourth Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission unanimously (10-0) agrees that Judge Erin L. Sokol MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Sokol presided over civil and domestic relations cases through December 2018 and over domestic relations and criminal cases from Jan 2019 to the present. She is described as having an excellent courtroom demeanor and judicial temperament, and as being smart, patient, fair, calm, professional and extremely hardworking. Judge Sokol exhibits an exceedingly high level of diligence and self-reflection, as well as excellent case management. As a new judge, she is aware that she is on a learning curve and looks for ways to improve and goes above and beyond to learn areas of law that are new to her. In one case reviewed by the Commission, Judge Sokol astutely identified the most important legal issue even though it was not the one brought before her. Judge Sokol’s overall combined performance score for all respondents on the 2020 Judicial Performance Survey was 3.6 out of 4.0, higher than the average score for all District Court Judges at 3.4. Ninety-five percent of attorneys and 100% of non-attorneys also stated that Judge Sokol meets judicial performance standards. Though Judge Sokol had one of the highest survey response rates for this cycle, the Commission notes only 45 respondents completed surveys with at least a single rating question answered, and only three of those were non-attorneys. However, the 2019 interim survey results were consistent with the 2020 results.
The Commission interviewed Judge Sokol, observed her in Court, reviewed her self-evaluation, written opinions, judicial performance data, comments from attorneys and non-attorneys, and the judicial performance survey results from 2019 and 2020. It should be noted that a new methodology for the survey was used this year to which lower response rates may be attributed. This methodology affected all judges across the board and is not an explanation for individual results. The Commission also spoke with representatives of the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office, both of whom reported positively on her performance and agreed that she “meets performance standards.” The Commission is confident that Judge Sokol will be a long-term asset to the 4th Judicial District.
Judge Sokol was appointed to the District Court on August 1, 2017. Judge Sokol graduated from the University of Michigan in 1996 and Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Sokol worked as an associate, partner and senior attorney in several private law firms. Since taking the bench, she has volunteered as a judge for Teen Court and the college mock trial competition. Judge Sokol has made professional presentations to several Bar Associations and actively participates in several professional law associations.