James "Jim" Lawrence Sanchez
District Court Judge
13th Judicial District
Cibola, Sandoval, and Valencia Counties
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Judge James Sanchez’s overall survey results were generally positive. Attorneys rated him highly for being attentive to the proceedings, punctual in commencing proceedings, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, and for his ability to decisively rule on procedural and substantive matters. The resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) rated him positively for maintaining proper control over the proceedings, being courteous to all participants, and for ruling on motions or cases in a timely manner. The court staff rated him positively for behaving in a manner that encourages respect for the courts.
Experience & Education: Judge James Sanchez was appointed as a District Court Judge in May 2012 and elected the following November. Prior to his appointment, he worked in private practice as a trial lawyer for 19 years and as a defense attorney for six years. Judge Sanchez received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico State University and law degree from the UNM School of Law in 1986.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=78, 34% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 90% | 6% | 4% |
| Fair and Impartial | 81% | 10% | 9% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 72% | 20% | 8% |
| Communication is Clear | 86% | 9% | 5% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 82% | 11% | 7% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 94% | 5% | 1% |
| Court Staff (n=41, 56% 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 | 71% | 8% | 21% |
| Jurors (n=19, 22% Response Rate) | |||
| 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 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Resource Staff (n=58) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 68% | 16% | 16% |
| Communication is Clear | 74% | 21% | 5% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 82% | 18% | 0% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 81% | 14% | 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.