October 09, 2002

By Bill Hethcock

A group of angry parents and an attorney gathered Tuesday outside the El Paso County Judicial Building to speak out against four judges on the November ballot. Members of the Citizen's Judicial Review Committee urged voters to oust 4th Judicial District judges Thomas Kennedy, Tom Kane and Ed Colt, and El Paso County Court Judge Larry Martin in the Nov. 5 election. The committee is a watchdog group that collects information primarily in divorce and child custody hearings. Members had a sweeping range of complaints, with most centering on their perception the judges show bias toward favored parents and lawyers, lack accountability to the public and ignore the best interests of children All four judges were recommended for retention by a Judicial Performance Commission made up of four lawyers and six non-lawyers appointed by the governor, the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, speaker of the House and president of the Senate. But performance commission reviews are conducted by judicial- system insiders and don't give voters a true idea of what happens in the courtrooms, said Maria Sinel, a Colorado Springs lawyer who represents two of the parents in the watchdog group.

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