Final Recommendation

Cindy  Leos
The Honorable

Cindy Leos

District Court Judge
2nd Judicial District --
Bernalillo County

Year: 2020

Recommendation: Retain

Election Results: Retained

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%
Respects Court Employees N/A N/A N/A
Court Staff (n=103, 41% Response Rate)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Exhibits Integrity 93% 0% 7%
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 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%
Properly Controls Proceedings 100% 0% 0%
Respects Court Employees N/A N/A N/A
Resource Staff (n=199)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Exhibits Integrity 63% 10% 27%
Fair and Impartial 61% 10% 29%
Knowledgeable of Law N/A N/A N/A
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. ‡

Attorney Retain Recommendation Bar ChartCourt Staff Retain Recommendation Bar ChartResource Staff Retain Recommendation Bar Chart

‡ 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.

 

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