Fred Travis Van Soelen
District Court Judge
9th Judicial District
Curry and Roosevelt Counties
Year: 2024
Evaluation: Judge Fred Van Soelen’s survey results were somewhat mixed. Attorneys rated him positively for being attentive to the proceedings, maintaining proper control over proceedings, conducting himself in a manner free from impropriety, and finding facts and interpreting the law without regard to possible public criticism. However, attorneys gave him lower scores on punctuality in commencing proceedings and the clarity and thoroughness of oral decisions and communications. Court staff, resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation/parole, CASA volunteers, CYFD, interpreters, etc.) and jurors rated him highly in all areas. Notably, Judge Van Soelen’s scores among the resource staff have increased in all areas since his previous evaluation.
Experience & Education: Judge Fred Van Soelen was appointed as a District Court Judge in July 2013 and was elected to the position in November 2014. Judge Van Soelen was an associate at the Harmon Law office and served as an attorney with the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office for almost 10 years. He also served on the Rules of Criminal Procedure for District Court Committee. He received his undergraduate degree from McMurry University in 1993 and his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1999.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=13, 45% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 92% | 0% | 8% |
| Fair and Impartial | 75% | 8% | 17% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 54% | 25% | 21% |
| Communication is Clear | 54% | 29% | 17% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 78% | 8% | 14% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 83% | 8% | 8% |
| Court Staff (n=19) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 95% | 5% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | 95% | 5% | 0% |
| Jurors (n=17, 20% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 92% | 8% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 91% | 8% | 0% |
| Communication is Clear | 93% | 7% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 90% | 8% | 3% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Resource Staff (n=16) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 97% | 3% | 0% |
| Communication is Clear | 93% | 7% | 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.