Gerald Edward Baca
District Court Judge
4th Judicial District --
Guadalupe, Mora, and San Miguel Counties
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Judge Gerald Baca’s evaluation results were quite positive. Attorneys rated him highly for being attentive to the proceedings, demonstrating appropriate demeanor on the bench, treating all participants equally, and for being courteous to all participants. The court staff rated him highly for behaving in a manner that encourages respect for the courts and for respecting court employees regardless of position. Resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) rated him highly on all attributes.
Experience & Education: Judge Gerald Baca was appointed to the District Court in May of 2013 and was elected to the position in November of 2014. He presently serves as Chief Judge of the 4th Judicial District Court. Judge Baca has a general jurisdiction docket and hears all types of cases. He previously served on the District Court bench in 2007-2008. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Baca practiced law for 25 years, handling a wide variety of cases. He received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico Highlands University in 1983 and his law degree from the UNM School of Law in 1987.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=75, 40% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 94% | 4% | 1% |
| Fair and Impartial | 91% | 6% | 3% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 82% | 16% | 2% |
| Communication is Clear | 88% | 9% | 3% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 95% | 4% | 1% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 94% | 3% | 3% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Court Staff (n=16, 57% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 93% | 7% | 0% |
| 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 | 93% | 7% | 0% |
| Resource Staff (n=11) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 91% | 9% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| 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.