George P. Eichwald
District Court Judge
13th Judicial District
Cibola, Sandoval, and Valencia Counties
Year: 2014
Evaluation: Judge George Eichwald received positive scores from attorneys and high scores from court staff in each area of the evaluation. Among attorneys, he received positive scores for being courteous to all participants, demonstrating appropriate demeanor on the bench, and for being attentive to the proceedings. Among court staff, Judge Eichwald’s scores are among the highest in the district. However, the judge was rated somewhat lower by the resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.), particularly in the areas of treating all participants equally and displaying fairness and impartiality towards each side of the case. The judge expressed a commitment to improving his judicial performance.
Experience & Education: Judge Eichwald was appointed District Judge in August 2004 and elected the following November. During his time on the bench, he has presided over both civil and criminal cases, and serves as the Water Law Judge for the 13th Judicial District. He also oversees the Adult Drug Court for Sandoval County. Prior to his appointment, he worked in private practice for 15 years. Judge Eichwald received his undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of New Mexico in 1984.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=132, 40% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 85% | 5% | 10% |
| Fair and Impartial | 76% | 12% | 12% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 74% | 16% | 10% |
| Communication is Clear | 76% | 18% | 6% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 92% | 5% | 3% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 85% | 12% | 3% |
| Court Staff (n=48, 65% 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 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Jurors (n=24, 41% 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 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 58% | 15% | 27% |
| Communication is Clear | 62% | 20% | 18% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 71% | 18% | 11% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 67% | 23% | 9% |
| 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.