Cheryl H. Johnston
District Court Judge
13th Judicial District
Cibola, Sandoval, and Valencia Counties
Year: 2020
Evaluation: Judge Cheryl Johnston received somewhat mixed scores among the groups surveyed. The court staff rated her positively on all attributes. In fact, her scores have improved since her interim evaluation in 2017. Attorneys rated her positively for attentiveness to proceedings, being courteous to all participants, and maintaining proper control over the proceedings. However, they rated her somewhat lower with regard to sound legal reasoning, as well as timeliness in both ruling on motions or cases in a timely manner and promptly scheduling hearings and trials. Judge Johnston said that she has attended training sessions and consulted with colleagues on family law, a new area for her after a career as a prosecutor, and she continues to work to improve her efficiency.
Experience & Education: Judge Cheryl Johnston has been a family court judge since being elected to the post in 2014. She presides over cases involving divorce, parenting, custody issues, and child abuse and neglect. Judge Johnston earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University in 1977 and her law degree from the UNM School of Law in 1981. She was in general practice in U.S. military courts in West Germany from 1981-1983. After that, she served as an Assistant District Attorney. In 2019, Judge Johnston was appointed to the Judicial Standards Commission.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=84, 38% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 81% | 12% | 7% |
| Fair and Impartial | 73% | 15% | 12% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 64% | 22% | 14% |
| Communication is Clear | 73% | 17% | 10% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 82% | 13% | 6% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 86% | 8% | 6% |
| 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 | 81% | 4% | 15% |
* 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.