M. I. Dominguez
Metropolitan Court Judge
Bernalillo County
Year: 2014
Evaluation: Judge Maria Dominguez received positive ratings from the various populations surveyed. Attorneys and court staff rated Judge Dominguez positively in all areas. For example, attorneys rated her quite positively for treating self-represented parties fairly, displaying fairness and impartiality toward each side of the case, being punctual in commencing proceedings, and maintaining proper control over the proceedings. Court staff rated her positively for behaving in a manner that encourages respect for the court, respecting court employees regardless of position, and ensuring personal staff is professional and knowledgeable of court policies and procedures. The resource staff (e.g., law enforcement officers) gave Judge Dominguez generally positive scores in all areas. In fact, since her previous evaluation, Judge Dominguez improved her scores in all areas with the resource staff.
Experience & Education: Judge Dominguez was appointed in 2008 to the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. Prior to her judicial appointment, she was in private practice as legal counsel for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Air Board and contract hearing officer for the City of Albuquerque. She also served as a contract hearing officer for the New Mexico Environment Department. Judge Dominguez graduated from the University of New Mexico Law School in 1995 and started her legal career as an assistant public defender.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=77, 40% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 84% | 5% | 11% |
| Fair and Impartial | 87% | 8% | 5% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 88% | 7% | 5% |
| Communication is Clear | 85% | 8% | 7% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 79% | 7% | 14% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 91% | 5% | 4% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Court Staff (n=69, 33% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 88% | 7% | 4% |
| 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 | 85% | 10% | 4% |
| Jurors (n=26, 33% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 78% | 15% | 7% |
| Fair and Impartial | 78% | 13% | 9% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 80% | 14% | 6% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 83% | 12% | 5% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 86% | 9% | 5% |
| 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.