Jefferson Co. lawyers judge the judges
Nearly all Jefferson County Family and Circuit Court judges maintained their ratings by fellow lawyers in a newly released Louisville Bar Association evaluation, while one circuit judge's overall ratings fell significantly.
Only 53 percent of respondents gave favorable ratings on general satisfaction on Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens, down from 69 percent in the association's 2013 evaluation and 81 percent in 2010. It marked the lowest rating this year for a circuit judge.
Most other circuit judges, including McKay Chauvin, Charles Cunningham Jr., Audra Eckerle, Brian Edwards, Susan Schultz Gibson, Mitch Perry and James Shake maintained or slightly gained or lost favorable ratings in the 80s and 90s in the general satisfaction category.
Of the 4,613 Kentucky Bar Association members with Jefferson County addresses, 490 completed the evaluation, conducted between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16 with the assistance of the Thoroughbred Research Group.
New this year was an online form. Fifty-seven more surveys were returned this year than in 2013, representing a nearly 1 percent rise in response rate from 2013, said Scott Furkin, executive director of the Louisville Bar Association.
Addressing perennial criticism that the survey results are invalid because too few lawyers participate or the process can turn into a witch hunt or popularity contest, Furkin said attorneys were asked only to rank judges with whom they had "substantial professional contact."
Shake, consistently highly rated, again topped the rankings with 96 percent of lawyers giving him a positive ranking overall. Cunningham and Angela McCormick Bisig followed closely with 95 percent.
Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman's positive overall ratings rose from 85 percent in 2013 to 90 percent this year, while Mary Shaw saw a 5 percent and Barry Willett a 7 percent decrease from 2013.
It was the first evaluation for judges Bisig and Ann Bailey Smith, who respectively received 95 and 83 percent favorable ratings for general satisfaction.
Following a substantial turnover in Family Court last fall, six of the 10 judges were rated for the first time.
Chief Family Court Judge Paula Sherlock made a 13-point jump from 79 percent general approval in 2013 to 92 percent this year. Hugh Smith Haynie Jr. also improved by 5 percentage points to 89. Fellow judges Dolly Wiseman Berry and Stephen George scored highly at 92 and 95 percent in overall satisfaction.
Newcomers to the bench were rated across the spectrum, with Judge Denise Brown receiving the lowest ratings of the entire 2015 survey at 50 percent overall approval. Tara Hagerty rated highest among the new judges with a 94 percent favorable overall rating.
Anglea Johnson was rated at 64 percent, followed by Deborah Deweese at 76 percent approval, A. Christine Ward at 77 and Deana McDonald at 85.
Each of the judges were evaluated on 18 attributes under six categories, ranging from judicial temperament to legal ability to court management. Circuit judges were also evaluated on their performance in handling criminal cases.
Lawyers were also able to write comments, which were sent confidentially and anonymously to the respective judge.
An average of 248 lawyers evaluated the Circuit Court judges. Fewer lawyers evaluated the Family Court judges, rated by an average of 100 people.
Since 1979, the evaluation – funded by the Louisville Bar Foundation – has assessed judicial performance with the aim of giving feedback to judges and informing citizens to help them when they vote.
The new evaluation can be read in its entirety at the Louisville Bar Association's website.
Reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at 502-582-4989 or mglowicki@courier-journal.com.