The Twelfth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (6-0), with two commission vacancies and two commissioners absent, finds that Judge Daniel Walzl MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS . The performance standards contemplate the judge’s integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Walzl presides over a busy courtroom that addresses cases across a range of areas, including civil law, criminal law, misdemeanors, traffic and small claims. Both attorneys and individuals representing themselves appear in front of him. He also had a busy jury trial schedule in 2025, with eighteen jury trials held in his court.
The 2026 Judicial Survey Report for Judge Walzl had an overall rating of 3.4, up from his previous rating of 3.1 in 2025. Judge Walzl’s personal stated value is that he endeavors to reflect the community of Alamosa’s expectations and standards in the courtroom while applying rules and laws fairly. He recognizes that Alamosa County court is a high volume, high conflict courtroom. He has a fair expectation that attorneys act professionally and come prepared for court. Judge Walzl’s 2026 Judicial Survey Report had a mix of individuals responding, with fourteen non-attorneys finding that he met performance standards, two attorneys and one non-attorney finding that he did not meet performance standards, and one non-attorney having no opinion on whether he met performance standards. The Commission reviewed both the survey responses and Judge Walzl’s self-evaluation and decisions, in addition to interviewing Judge Walzl regarding his survey feedback and observing his courtroom. The Commission specifically heard and addressed the ongoing feedback from a small number of attorneys that are critical of his performance, which Judge Walzl responded to with candor and insight. The Commission concluded that such critiques from attorneys were not credible. A breakdown of all of the respondents’ scores of demeanor (3.1), fairness (3.2), ability to communicate (3.5), case management (3.5), and application of the law (3.4) reflected Judge Walzl’s increase in score in several categories from his last retention cycle, including the ability to communicate, case management, and application and knowledge of the law.
Judge Walzl earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1999. After graduating law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Thomas M. Jahnke in the Superior Court, First Judicial District, Ketchikan, Alaska. After completing his clerkship, he then returned to Colorado and spent the next eleven years working as a deputy state public defender, first in Pueblo and then in Alamosa, before becoming County Court Judge for Alamosa in 2011.
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