Sylvia F. LaMar
District Court Judge
1st Judicial District
Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, and Santa Fe Counties
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Judge Sylvia LaMar’s overall survey results were generally positive. Attorneys rated her positively for being attentive to the proceedings, being punctual in commencing proceedings, displaying familiarity with cases through prior preparation, and for ensuring her staff is professional, productive and knowledgeable of court policies and procedures. Attorneys rated her slightly lower when it comes to exercising sound legal reasoning. The court staff and resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) rated her positively in all areas.
Experience & Education: Judge Sylvia LaMar was appointed to the District Court in 2012 and elected in November 2014. Prior to the appointment, she worked in private practice with a focus on family law, particularly custody cases. Judge LaMar received her undergraduate degree from New York School of Ceramics at Alfred University and her law degree from American University in 1983.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=92, 43% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 76% | 14% | 10% |
| Fair and Impartial | 64% | 21% | 15% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 62% | 24% | 13% |
| Communication is Clear | 73% | 17% | 11% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 73% | 15% | 13% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 78% | 16% | 7% |
| Court Staff (n=30, 40% 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 | 77% | 8% | 15% |
| Resource Staff (n=48) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 82% | 11% | 7% |
| Communication is Clear | 87% | 13% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 93% | 0% | 7% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 80% | 7% | 13% |
| 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.