Dustin K. Hunter
District Court Judge
5th Judicial District
Chaves, Eddy, and Lea Counties
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Judge Dustin Hunter handles both criminal and civil cases, as well as child support cases, driver's license restoration requests, and some domestic violence cases. He received overall positive ratings from all groups surveyed. For example, attorneys rated him highly for being courteous to all participants, demonstrating appropriate demeanor on the bench, being attentive to proceedings, and for displaying familiarity with court cases through prior preparation. Both court staff and resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) rated him positively on all attributes.
Experience & Education: Judge Dustin Hunter was appointed as a District Court Judge in May 2016 and elected in November 2016. He received his undergraduate degree from Cameron University and his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. Judge Hunter’s private practice specialized in family law, bankruptcy, personal injury, and defense. Judge Hunter coached girls and boys soccer and basketball, was a director for Church on the Move, handled lawyer referral for the elderly (pro-bono), and served in the Chaves County and NM State Bars.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=36, 26% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 97% | 0% | 3% |
| Fair and Impartial | 88% | 7% | 6% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 93% | 3% | 4% |
| Communication is Clear | 97% | 0% | 3% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 97% | 0% | 3% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 97% | 0% | 3% |
| Court Staff (n=51, 74% 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 | 96% | 4% | 0% |
| Jurors (n=26, 20% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 92% | 8% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 92% | 6% | 2% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 88% | 8% | 4% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 91% | 4% | 4% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Resource Staff (n=49) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 79% | 11% | 11% |
| Communication is Clear | 71% | 7% | 21% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 79% | 7% | 14% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 79% | 7% | 14% |
| 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.