James
The Honorable

James "Jim" Lawrence Sanchez

District Court Judge
13th Judicial District
Cibola, Sandoval, and Valencia Counties

Year: 2020

Recommendation: Retain

Election Results: Retained

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. ‡

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.