Douglas R. Driggers
District Court Judge
3rd Judicial District --
Doña Ana County
Year: 2014
Evaluation: Judge Douglas Driggers' polling results were positive among jurors and resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) but were somewhat mixed among attorneys and lower among court staff. In particular, attorneys rated Judge Driggers quite positively for punctuality, attentiveness, decisiveness, and maintaining proper control of proceedings. However, attorneys rated him somewhat lower when it comes to conducting himself in a manner free from arrogance and for being courteous to all participants. The court staff rated him lower in all areas. In fact, his scores among the court staff have declined since his last evaluation in 2011. In the interview process, Judge Driggers acknowledged these issues and has committed to making improvements.
Experience & Education: Judge Driggers was appointed District Judge in 2003, was elected in 2004 and retained by voters in 2008. He has heard civil and criminal cases, has served as Chief Judge and is the senior member of the 3rd Judicial District Court. Judge Driggers graduated from the University of New Mexico Law School in 1974 and served as a Doña Ana County Assistant District Attorney, was elected district attorney and served 7 1/2 years in private practice prior to appointment to the 3rd District Court. He is a founding member and past chairman of the Doña Ana Crime Stoppers organization.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=105, 48% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 76% | 12% | 11% |
| Fair and Impartial | 64% | 18% | 18% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 68% | 18% | 14% |
| Communication is Clear | 70% | 20% | 10% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 55% | 18% | 27% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 87% | 11% | 3% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Court Staff (n=63, 75% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 50% | 22% | 28% |
| Fair and Impartial | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Appropriate Demeanor | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Respects Court Employees | 33% | 28% | 39% |
| Jurors (n=98, 38% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 97% | 2% | 1% |
| Fair and Impartial | 99% | 0% | 1% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 96% | 3% | 1% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 97% | 1% | 2% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 98% | 1% | 1% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 76% | 18% | 7% |
| Fair and Impartial | 68% | 18% | 14% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 73% | 16% | 11% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 60% | 22% | 18% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 87% | 9% | 4% |
| 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.