Kevin L. Fitzwater
Metropolitan Court Judge
Bernalillo County
Year: 2010
Evaluation: Judge Fitzwater received generally positive ratings. His scores have improved slightly since his previous evaluation. Some of his strengths among attorneys include maintaining proper control over the proceedings, starting courtroom proceedings on time, being attentive to the proceedings, and being courteous to all participants. Among court staff and jurors, Judge Fitzwater scored well on all attributes.
Experience & Education: Judge Fitzwater has served as a Metropolitan Court Judge since 1997. After receiving undergraduate and law degrees from the University of New Mexico in 1992, Judge Fitzwater worked in military justice and as a deputy district attorney in New Mexico's Second Judicial District. He also holds an MBA from National University in San Diego, California. Legal specialties include criminal, mental health and international law and he presides over the Metropolitan Mental Health Court. He is a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=181, 73.6% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 74% | 20% | 7% |
| Fair and Impartial | 68% | 16% | 16% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 68% | 24% | 9% |
| Communication is Clear | 78% | 13% | 9% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 84% | 10% | 7% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 89% | 5% | 5% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Court Staff (n=70, 60.9% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 94% | 4% | 1% |
| Fair and Impartial | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Appropriate Demeanor | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Respects Court Employees | 94% | 6% | 0% |
| Jurors (n=20, 36% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| 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.