“First, the district court judges had to invite him to stand for reappointment,” said Jeffrey Colwell, clerk of court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, “then Judge West had to say he wanted to be reappointed. And he has.”
Magistrate judges have three main responsibilities: They conduct preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; they handle misdemeanor cases, including trial and sentencing; and, upon delegation from a U.S. District Court judge, they handle various pretrial and evidentiary proceedings for felony cases.
Comments are requested both from the public and lawyers, Colwell said, and are due May 26. At that point, a panel of citizens will be appointed by the U.S. District Court judges to review both West’s performance in the courtroom and the comments supporting or opposing reappointment. The panel’s report is due to the district court judges by the end of August, and they are expected to make their reappointment decision in September.
West’s current term expires Jan. 7, 2016.
West is a part-time magistrate, which means his terms run for four years, Colwell said. The full-time magistrates, who all are based in Denver, serve eight-year terms.
abutler@durangoherald.com