Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Martin A. Gonzales
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Martin A. Gonzales was a judge on the 12th District Court in Colorado. He was initially appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter (D) in August 2007 and won retention to a full six-year term in 2010. Gonzales won retention again in the general election on November 8, 2016. He retired from the court on April 1, 2022.[1]
Gonzales served on the Alamosa County Court from 2001 until his elevation to the district court. From 1997 until the county court appointment, he had been a juvenile magistrate for the 12th District.
Biography
Gonzales received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Colorado in 1975 and 1978. He worked as a general practice lawyer from 1978 until his county court appointment in 2001. He also worked as county attorney for Conejos County (1989 to 2001) and Costilla County (1996 to 2001).[2][3]
Elections
2016
Colorado held judicial retention elections in 2016. Fifty-eight district court judges sought retention to six-year terms in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Martin A. Gonzales was retained in the Colorado 12th Judicial District, Martin A. Gonzales Retention Election with 71.06 percent of the vote.
| Colorado 12th Judicial District, Martin A. Gonzales Retention Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Martin A. Gonzales | 71.06% | |
| Source: Colorado Secretary of State, "Unofficial election results," accessed November 8, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Assisted appointment
There are 164 judges on the Colorado District Courts, each appointed by the governor from a list of names compiled by a nominating commission. Initial terms last at least two years, after which judges must stand for retention in a yes-no election. Subsequent terms last six years.[4]
The court's chief judge is appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court to serve indefinitely.[4]
Qualifications
To serve on the district court, a judge must be:[4]
- a qualified elector in the district;
- licensed to practice law in state for five years; and
- under the age of 72 (retirement by 72 is mandatory).
2010
- See also: Colorado judicial elections, 2010
Judge Gonzales was retained with 68.93 percent of the vote in 2010.[5]
Retention recommendation
Gonzales has been recommended for retention by the Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation.[6]
Read Gonzales' Judicial Performance Review here.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Law Week Colorado, "Polis Appoints Judge Kimberly Cortez to the 12th Judicial District Court," accessed June 23, 2022
- ↑ Official biography of Judge Martin A. Gonzales
- ↑ The Pueblo Chieftain "SLV voters to decide whether to keep 4 judges," March 8, 2010
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Colorado," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Official Colorado 2010 Election Results - Cumulative Report
- ↑ Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation, Conejos County (dead link)
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Colorado • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Colorado
State courts:
Colorado Supreme Court • Colorado Court of Appeals • Colorado District Courts • Colorado County Courts • Denver Probate Court • Denver Juvenile Court • Colorado Municipal Courts • Colorado Water Courts
State resources:
Courts in Colorado • Colorado judicial elections • Judicial selection in Colorado
