Judith K. Nakamura
Metropolitan Court Judge
Bernalillo County
Year: 2010
Evaluation: Overall, Chief Judge Judith Nakamura receives generally positive ratings, balancing a busy docket with her administrative responsibilities as chief judge. Attorneys rated her positively for her knowledge of the law, punctuality in commencing proceedings, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, ruling decisively on legal matters, and for displaying familiarity with court cases through prior preparation. The court staff and jurors also gave positive evaluations of Judge Nakamura's performance in all areas.
Experience & Education: Judge Judith Nakamura was elected to the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in 1998 and has served as Chief Judge since 2002. She previously worked in the State Land Office as general counsel and as Assistant Land Commissioner. She has also worked in private practice. In 2006, she received the UNM Alumni Association's Zia Award and the MADD National President's Award for Judge of the Year. Judge Nakamura received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of New Mexico.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=158, 83.6% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 82% | 3% | 15% |
| Fair and Impartial | 73% | 8% | 19% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 79% | 11% | 10% |
| Communication is Clear | 80% | 12% | 8% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 75% | 7% | 18% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 91% | 6% | 3% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Court Staff (n=94, 63.1% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 92% | 5% | 2% |
| 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 | 72% | 19% | 9% |
| Jurors (n=38, 44% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 97% | 0% | 3% |
| Fair and Impartial | 97% | 1% | 3% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 95% | 3% | 3% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 97% | 0% | 3% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 97% | 0% | 3% |
| 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.