Albert J. Mitchell, Jr.
The Honorable

Albert J. Mitchell, Jr.

District Court Judge
10th Judicial District
De Baca, Harding, and Quay Counties

Year: 2020

Recommendation: Retain

Election Results: Retained

Evaluation: Judge Albert Mitchell, Jr.'s overall survey results were generally positive. Attorneys rated him quite positively for being courteous to all participants, demonstrating appropriate demeanor on the bench, being attentive to the proceedings, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, and ensuring personal staff is professional, productive and knowledgeable of court policies and procedures. Judge Mitchell's scores among the attorneys improved on almost every attribute since his previous evaluation in 2017. The court staff rated Judge Mitchell positively in all areas, especially for respecting court employees regardless of position. The resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) rated Judge Mitchell positively for behaving in a manner that encourages respect for the courts and for being attentive to the proceedings. However, there are a few areas in which the resource staff rated him somewhat lower. Judge Mitchell acknowledged these somewhat lower scores among resource staff and has indicated a commitment to improve in those areas.

Experience & Education: Judge Albert Mitchell, Jr. was elected to the 10th Judicial District Court in 2008, appointed in 2015, and elected in 2016. Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Mitchell was in private practice focusing on real estate, business law, estate planning and probate. He worked as a contract public defender and Children’s Court attorney. Judge Mitchell received his undergraduate degree at Stanford University and his law degree at the UNM School of Law in 1984.

PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *

Attorneys (n=41, 41% Response Rate)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Exhibits Integrity 88% 5% 7%
Fair and Impartial 79% 10% 11%
Knowledgeable of Law 71% 20% 10%
Communication is Clear 74% 12% 14%
Appropriate Demeanor 84% 10% 7%
Properly Controls Proceedings 93% 5% 2%
Court Staff (n=7, 78% 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 86% 14% 0%
Jurors (n=16, 76% Response Rate)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Exhibits Integrity 100% 0% 0%
Fair and Impartial 98% 2% 0%
Knowledgeable of Law N/A N/A N/A
Communication is Clear 98% 2% 0%
Appropriate Demeanor 100% 0% 0%
Respects Court Employees N/A N/A N/A
Resource Staff (n=13)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Fair and Impartial 69% 6% 25%
Communication is Clear 75% 6% 19%
Appropriate Demeanor 75% 0% 25%
Properly Controls Proceedings 81% 0% 19%
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.