Victor S. Lopez
District Court Judge
2nd Judicial District
Bernalillo County
Year: 2024
Evaluation: Judge Victor S. Lopez received somewhat mixed results. For example, attorneys rated the judge positively for being attentive to the proceedings, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, being punctual in commencing proceedings, and for ensuring personal staff is professional, productive, and knowledgeable of court policies and procedures. Court staff rated the judge positively on all attributes. However, Judge Lopez received somewhat lower scores from attorneys for not always exercising sound legal reasoning and not being thoroughly knowledgeable regarding substantive law and the rules of procedure and evidence.
Experience & Education: Judge Victor S. Lopez was elected to the bench in 2014. He has experience in civil, criminal, and administrative law. He currently hears a broad variety of civil cases. Before becoming a District Court Judge, Judge Lopez worked as a practicing attorney focusing on civil and administrative law. Judge Lopez served as a Workers’ Compensation Judge, a Disciplinary Board Hearing Officer, and a DWI Hearing Officer. Judge Lopez received his undergraduate degree from the University of California in Berkeley in 1980 and his law degree from the University of California Los Angeles in 1983.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=149, 31% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 76% | 7% | 17% |
| Fair and Impartial | 65% | 13% | 22% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 54% | 18% | 28% |
| Communication is Clear | 63% | 17% | 20% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 76% | 9% | 15% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 77% | 14% | 9% |
| Court Staff (n=30) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 83% | 10% | 7% |
| Respects Court Employees | 80% | 13% | 7% |
| Jurors (n=19, 37% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Communication is Clear | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 0% |
*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.