Carl J. Butkus
District Court Judge
2nd Judicial District
Bernalillo County
Year: 2014
Evaluation: Judge Carl Butkus received positive scores from the court staff and somewhat mixed ratings from the attorneys. Attorneys rated him highly for demonstrating appropriate demeanor on the bench, conducting himself in a manner free from arrogance and impropriety, and for being courteous to all participants in his courtroom. However, attorneys rated this judge lower for not always ruling on motions or cases in a timely manner and for not always ruling on procedural and substantive matters in a decisive manner. Attorneys also continued to rate Judge Butkus lower for not always scheduling hearings and trials in a prompt manner. Court staff and jurors scored Judge Butkus positively on all attributes.
Experience & Education: Judge Butkus was appointed to the bench in 2005. Prior to his appointment, he served as a law clerk for the Court of Appeals and in private practice. He began his career as a District Judge handling criminal cases; however, he handles primarily civil cases now. Judge Butkus continues to be active in various civic and professional organizations. Judge Butkus received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and he received his law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1977.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=295, 44% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| Fair and Impartial | 91% | 6% | 3% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 82% | 13% | 5% |
| Communication is Clear | 82% | 10% | 8% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 87% | 8% | 5% |
| Court Staff (n=140, 44% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Communication is Clear | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Respects Court Employees | 82% | 5% | 14% |
| Jurors (n=14, 34% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* On the tables above, the "Agree" columns are comprised of the strongly agree and agree responses. Similarly, the "Disagree" columns are comprised of the strongly disagree and disagree responses. The combined percentage of "Agree", "Disagree", and "Partly Agree/Partly Disagree" for each category may not equal 100% due to rounding error. "N/A" indicates that the category is "not applicable" because some populations were not asked certain questions.
PERCENTAGE THAT RECOMMEND THE JUDGE BE RETAINED OR NOT BE RETAINED IN OFFICE. ‡
‡ On the charts above, the "Retain" columns are comprised of the strongly recommend retain and somewhat recommend retain responses. Similarly, the "Do Not Retain" columns are comprised of the strongly recommend not retain and somewhat recommend not retain responses.