Denise Barela-Shepherd
District Court Judge
2nd Judicial District
Bernalillo County
Year: 2024
Evaluation: Judge Denise Barela-Shepherd received positive ratings from attorneys and court staff. For example, attorneys rated the judge highly for being punctual in commencing proceedings, being prompt in scheduling hearings and trials, for maintaining proper control over the proceedings, and for ensuring her personal staff is professional, productive and knowledgeable of court policies and procedures. Judge Barela-Shepherd’s scores from attorneys and court staff have continuously improved during her time on the bench. Her scores among court staff improved significantly from the 2019 evaluation cycle.
Experience & Education: Judge Denise Barela-Shepherd was appointed to the bench in 2003 and elected in 2004. Judge Barela-Shepherd is experienced in civil and criminal law. She currently hears exclusively civil cases. Before becoming a District Court Judge, she worked as a practicing attorney focusing on civil law. Judge Barela-Shepherd received her undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University in 1982 and her law degree from the University of New Mexico in 1989.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=158, 32% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 93% | 4% | 3% |
| Fair and Impartial | 89% | 6% | 5% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 85% | 11% | 4% |
| Communication is Clear | 90% | 7% | 4% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 94% | 5% | 1% |
| Court Staff (n=28) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 89% | 4% | 7% |
| Respects Court Employees | 82% | 11% | 7% |
*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. Some of the percentages that are reported in the above categories are an average of more than one question that appeared on the survey.