Michael J. Vallejos
District Court · 2nd Judicial District · retention evaluations: 2020
2020 retention · District Court · 2nd Judicial District
38 percentile · rank 37 of 59
composite 0100
42 percentile · rank 58 of 100
composite 0100
36 44th percentile among peers · 57th percentile statewide
1488
Composite index 40.11 among peers (43.00 statewide): the mean of the three percentiles below. Rank orders by it.
3.40 of 4 · 36.44 percentile
2.203.90
3.50 of 4 · 47.46 percentile
2.423.88
84.00% 36.44 percentile
39.00%100.00%
Attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 84.00%
Non-attorneys
- Say “meets standards”
- 100.00%
| Category | Score | Peer median | Peer range (dot is this judge, line is the median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Management | 3.40median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Application and Knowledge of Law | 3.20median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Communications | 3.50median 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Diligence | 3.40median 3.40 | 3.40 | |
| Demeanor | 3.50median 3.60 | 3.60 | |
| Fairness | 4.00median 4.00 | 4.00 |
Commission: meets standards (10–0)
The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, on a vote of 10-0, unanimously finds that Judge Michael J. Vallejos MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
The Commission reviewed the results of surveys submitted by attorneys and non-attorneys, including written verbatim comments, interviews of the Chief Judge of the Denver District Court, the Denver City Attorney, and the head of the Denver municipal public defender’s office. The Commission also interviewed Judge Vallejos, and reviewed his written self-evaluation and opinions he authored. Some members of the Commission also observed Judge Vallejos in court and listened to recordings of proceedings before him.
In the survey results, compared to other district court judges standing for retention, Judge Vallejos scored slightly below average in application and knowledge of the law, average in case management, communications, demeanor and diligence and significantly above average in fairness. Of 33 attorneys who responded to surveys, 84% of attorney survey respondents said Judge Vallejos meets performance standards, 10% of attorney indicated he does not meet performance standards, and 6% had no opinion.
Governor Ritter appointed Judge Vallejos to the Denver District Court in 2010. Before his appointment, Judge Vallejos served as Deputy State Public Defender and the head of the Denver Office of the Colorado Public Defender. Judge Vallejos earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in 1984 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado in 1991. Judge Vallejos volunteers helping at-risk youth, and he formerly served on the Board of the Colorado Commission for Criminal and Juvenile Justice.