Steven L. Bell
District Court Judge
5th Judicial District
Chaves, Eddy, and Lea Counties
Year: 2014
Evaluation: Overall, Judge Steven Bell's results are very positive. For example, attorneys rated him very highly for being courteous to all participants, demonstrating appropriate demeanor on the bench, being attentive to the proceedings, and for his knowledge of the law. In addition, the court staff and resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.) rated him positively in all areas.
Experience & Education: Judge Bell was appointed in August 2006 and elected the following November. Prior to his judgeship, he was in private practice specializing in civil rights, employment law and tort claims. He has been active in various local community and volunteer organizations. Judge Bell received his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University and his law degree from the University of Texas in 1978.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=65, 36% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 92% | 3% | 5% |
| Fair and Impartial | 90% | 6% | 4% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 91% | 6% | 3% |
| Communication is Clear | 91% | 5% | 4% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 95% | 2% | 3% |
| Court Staff (n=52, 79% 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 | 95% | 0% | 5% |
| Jurors (n=64, 28% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 77% | 5% | 18% |
| Communication is Clear | 85% | 5% | 10% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 92% | 5% | 3% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 87% | 8% | 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.