Cindy Leos
District Court Judge
2nd Judicial District
Bernalillo County
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Overall, Judge Cindy Leos’ scores were somewhat mixed when compared to the other judges in the 2nd Judicial District Court. Attorneys rated her positively for being attentive to the proceedings, punctual in commencing proceedings, displaying familiarity with court cases through prior preparation, and for ruling on motions and cases in a timely manner. Court staff rated her highly on all attributes. However, attorneys and resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) rated Judge Cindy Leos somewhat lower for not always treating all participants equally and for not always displaying fairness and impartially toward each side of the case. Attorneys also gave her somewhat lower ratings for not always conducting herself in a manner free from impropriety or the appearance of impropriety. Lastly, resource staff felt that Judge Cindy Leos does not always behave in a manner that encourages respect for the courts. Judge Leos acknowledged the survey results and has taken steps to improve her performance.
Experience & Education: Judge Cindy Leos graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in May 1997 and received her law degree from Chicago-Kent School of Law in 2002. She was elected as a District Court Judge in November 2016. In addition, Judge Cindy Leos is the Presiding Judge of the Young Adult Court. Her community involvement includes serving as a volunteer judge for the American Hispanic National Bar Association Mock Court Competition. Finally, Judge Leos received the Albuquerque Bar Association Outstanding Judge of Year award in 2019.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=104, 39% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 68% | 8% | 24% |
| Fair and Impartial | 57% | 14% | 29% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 71% | 16% | 13% |
| Communication is Clear | 81% | 11% | 8% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 71% | 13% | 16% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 86% | 7% | 7% |
| Court Staff (n=103, 41% 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 | 91% | 2% | 7% |
| Jurors (n=39, 24% 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 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Resource Staff (n=199) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 61% | 10% | 29% |
| Communication is Clear | 63% | 12% | 24% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 66% | 10% | 24% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 68% | 7% | 24% |
| 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.