Stephen K. Quinn
District Court Judge
9th Judicial District --
Curry and Roosevelt Counties
Year: 2008
Evaluation: Judge Quinn received positive scores from all populations surveyed during this evaluation process. For example, attorneys rated the judge highly for being courteous to all participants, treating self-represented litigants fairly, and for having a dignified demeanor. The court staff rated him very highly for respecting all court employees, and for respecting and cooperating with other judges. Although Judge Quinn received positive scores on almost every attribute, he was rated somewhat lower in the area of ruling on motions or cases in a timely manner. While Judge Quinn was disciplined in 2006 by the Supreme Court for excessively delaying decisions, judgments, and rulings, he has shown improvement in this area since his previous evaluation in 2005 and has indicated his intention to continue improvement.
Experience & Education: Judge Quinn was appointed to the bench in 1989 and elected in 1990. He primarily handles criminal cases. Prior to his appointment, he was in private practice for over 15 years. He is involved with several organizations including Character Counts, Teen Court, Clovis Community Band, and Wayland Baptist College Dean's Advisory Council. Judge Quinn received his undergraduate degree from Eastern New Mexico University and his law degree from the University of New Mexico.