Karen L. Townsend
District Court Judge
11th Judicial District
McKinley and San Juan Counties
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Judge Karen Townsend’s results from the various groups surveyed were generally positive. For example, attorneys rated Judge Townsend highly for being punctual in commencing proceedings, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, for being attentive to the proceedings, and for ensuring personal staff is professional, productive, and knowledgeable. The court staff rated her positively on all attributes. The resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) gave her generally positive scores.
Experience & Education: Judge Karen Townsend was appointed to the bench in 2006 and works primarily from the San Juan County courthouse in Aztec, NM, specializing in civil, domestic and mental health issues. She received her undergraduate degree from Fort Lewis College in Colorado and she received a law degree in 1990 from Syracuse University. Prior to her appointment to the Court, she worked in private practice, as the City Attorney in Aztec, and was the Domestic Violence Hearing Officer for the 11th Judicial District Court.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=55, 33% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 70% | 19% | 11% |
| Fair and Impartial | 74% | 12% | 14% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 71% | 17% | 12% |
| Communication is Clear | 86% | 14% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 87% | 4% | 10% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Court Staff (n=49, 72% 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 | 77% | 11% | 11% |
| Jurors (n=10, 18% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 88% | 12% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 89% | 10% | 1% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 92% | 8% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 91% | 9% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Resource Staff (n=42) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 67% | 21% | 12% |
| Communication is Clear | 71% | 24% | 5% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 86% | 10% | 5% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 90% | 5% | 5% |
| 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.