Sharon D. Walton
Metropolitan Court Judge
Bernalillo County
Year: 2014
Evaluation: Judge Walton received mixed scores in this evaluation. The court staff and resource staff (e.g., law enforcement officers) rated Judge Walton positively in all areas and her scores from court staff improved significantly from her prior evaluation. Among attorneys, however, Judge Walton's scores are among the lowest in Metropolitan Court. Judge Walton received low scores for displaying fairness and impartiality toward each side of the case, for treating all participants equally, and for conducting herself in a manner free from arrogance. In her interview before the Commission, Judge Walton indicated a desire to improve her performance. Under Commission rules, eight members of the Commission must agree in order to make a recommendation of either Retain or Do Not Retain. Eight members did not agree on either recommendation; therefore, the Commission makes no recommendation as to Judge Walton.
Experience & Education: Judge Sharon Walton has served as a Metropolitan Court Judge since August 1999. She was assistant New Mexico attorney general, deputy general counsel for the New Mexico Corrections Department, assistant city attorney, and general counsel for the Albuquerque Police Department. She has been active in various community and professional organizations. Judge Walton graduated from New Mexico State University and received her law degree from the University of New Mexico in 1987.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=69, 40% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 46% | 13% | 41% |
| Fair and Impartial | 42% | 14% | 44% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 59% | 18% | 23% |
| Communication is Clear | 54% | 19% | 27% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 44% | 17% | 39% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 65% | 19% | 16% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Court Staff (n=74, 35% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 81% | 13% | 6% |
| Communication is Clear | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Respects Court Employees | 73% | 16% | 10% |
| Jurors (n=21, 39% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 98% | 2% | 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 | 86% | 9% | 5% |
| Fair and Impartial | 83% | 13% | 4% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 87% | 10% | 3% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 85% | 13% | 3% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 86% | 9% | 6% |
| 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.