Judges’ responses to their survey evaluations
The Eagle gave all Sedgwick County district judges and candidates their individual evaluations and invited their feedback. Here are comments from those who responded:
David Dahl, judge: “I think that those surveys are always very worthwhile. I think they illustrate to us areas that we may have been doing OK on, but then that means we still need to work hard to continue to do OK. And it also reveals to us some areas where we can improve and that helps us a lot. I think also any time any of us get a good review in any category, a lot of credit has to go to a lot of the other judges because we look to one another for a lot of help, and we should all get credit when all of us do OK. And finally I think it’s a reflection on the Bar Association here. The attorneys – they work very, very hard and that makes us want to work hard and do a job.”
Timothy H. Henderson, judge: “In 2010 I was ranked as one of the best judges in the county. In 2012 I was asked by the Chief Judge to take back control of the juvenile court from the District Attorney’s office. In 2013 the DA filed a complaint against me. The 2010 results clearly indicate what the attorneys thought of me before they let others tell them what to think.”
Robert A. Holubec, Division 21 candidate: “I received very favorable responses for being fair, respectful, courteous, professional, punctual, and treating people fairly. These are the very characteristics that a fair and impartial judge should have. (It is a bit disappointing that there were only 22 responses since at least 30 are needed in order to have statistical relevance.)”
Gregory D. Keith, Division 3 candidate: “I appreciate the time my colleagues invested in completing this evaluation. After serving as a Municipal Court judge for 20 years and having to make decisions on cases that parties may disagree on, to receive such positive responses is an affirmation of my abilities as a judge. Overall, I am very pleased. Having said that, I believe that there is always room for improvement and will use this feedback as a guide for my continuing development.”
Linda Kirby, Division 14 candidate: “Negative data collected under the promise of absolute secrecy from attorneys who have an interest in retaining my opponent as the sitting judge is not likely to be reliable. I simply say the negative responses are wrong. This poll is set up for political use and can be manipulated by a small number of negative responses (here, just over 2% of eligible attorneys.) In spite of the inherent biases, the newspaper is publishing repackaged data that it does not collect and has no way to assure it is accurate. (See letter regarding Judicial Survey at LindaKirby.com/Survey.)
“I have not been in court with more than 15 of the 52 attorneys who presume to evaluate my preparation for court and my legal knowledge. A private attorney must represent only one client’s interests, they cannot be evaluated as “fair” between parties. Ethics and respect in my dealings with clients and my community have been my hallmark. In 29 years, I have never had an ethics complaint. And 37 of the 52 attorneys who responded have no way of knowing whether I know procedural law because they have never been in court with me. I know Kansas law well and I use it effectively for private clients each day. I have not been late to court, ever. Please review my resume and make an independent evaluation.”
Christopher Magana, judge: “Judges are in a public profession so we should always consider any valid assessment of our work. Since they’ve yet to invent the perfect judge there’s always room for improvement by each of us. At the very least these survey results highlight where our strengths and weaknesses might be and are a starting point for what we can focus on.”
Terry L. Pullman, judge: “Thanks to the WBA and the Eagle for doing this survey. It provides the general public with information about the judges they may not otherwise have to use in making more informed decisions when voting for judge. Even unopposed, the ratings have value to me. They let me see where the bar feels I do well and in what areas I still need to improve. Most judges view this survey as a valuable assessment tool by our peers and use it to improve our performance. I certainly do and will do my best to do so.”
Tyler Roush, Division 24 candidate: “I am honored that the overwhelming majority of my colleagues hold me in high esteem. I am especially proud that my strongest scores from my peers were in the areas of fairness and ethics. Fairness and ethics are two crucial areas where a judge must be beyond reproach. These results reflect the broad range of endorsements that I have from my colleagues. My evaluation is consistent with being endorsed by every living former district attorney in Sedgwick County as well as a number of longtime defense attorneys.”
Kevin Smith, judge: “I’ve been a judge for under six months in the juvenile court since Governor Brownback appointed me to the bench. Given the fact that I see maybe 20 lawyers on my dockets in any given week, I am pleased that the areas where I can make a positive impression in such a short period of time are reflected in the survey. A new judge should be fair and unbiased; ethical; prepared; concise and clear in his rulings; and work hard for the people. If these traits are present he will become a judge the people deserve. The survey shows that I’ve done about all I can in six months to meet these criteria. A judge should also be humble enough to admit he has lots to learn in the areas where it takes time to develop expertise. I look forward to working on those areas in the next four years and am grateful for attorneys’ willingness to provide constructive criticism through this survey.”
Stephen Ternes, judge: “I am pleased by the positive evaluation. I will work very hard to continue to deliver a high level of service to the people of Sedgwick County, and I will look to the survey results for areas in which I can improve.”
Eric Williams, Division 6 candidate: “The Wichita Eagle Voter Guide is an important resource for voters and I appreciate the opportunity to participate. I am humbled to be running unopposed and look forward to service here in Sedgwick County.”
William Woolley, judge: “I always appreciate the work the Eagle does, with the assistance of the Wichita Bar Association, on the survey. The results are always helpful in letting me know where I am doing well and where I can improve as a judge. Thank you for your work on this survey.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Judges’ responses to their survey evaluations."