The First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Judge Tamara S. Russell MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS .
During most of this term, Judge Russell presided over a mixed docket including criminal, civil, and domestic relations cases. However, in February of 2026, Judge Russell’s docket switched to an all-criminal docket. Judge Russell is a highly experienced Judge and is noted to be balanced and respectful to both attorneys and litigants in her courtroom. She strives to treat each person in her courtroom equally with dignity, respect, and fairness. She demonstrates a good command of the law and the rules of evidence, and her orders are typically well-reasoned and detailed. She stays current with changes in the law, something she prioritizes and makes significant effort to do. Judge Russell aims to balance her efforts to manage court time effectively and efficiently with her judicial philosophy of allowing all parties to fully state their positions in her courtroom and be heard. Even if a litigant disagrees with her rulings, she works to have the parties feel that they are understood and that they, in turn, understand her rulings. This aim has, at times, potentially come at the expense of docket management, a component of her performance that she continues to hone.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Russell, reviewed orders she authored, observed her in court, reviewed the 2020-2025 judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys appearing before her, received feedback from the Chief Judge of the District, as well as the District Attorney and Public Defender Office Head. The 2026 survey results had a very limited number of responses, but a significant majority of attorneys and non-attorneys opined that Judge Russell meets performance standards. 11 appellate judges responded to the performance survey and rated Judge Russell highly (3.5 out of 4.0).
Judge Russell was raised in rural Indiana and graduated from Indiana University with honors. She attended CU Law School and graduated in 1987. Most of her career has been spent in the courtroom; she worked for an insurance defense firm after law school and then became a deputy district attorney in Adams County. Subsequently, she became Chief Deputy City Attorney in Lakewood, Colorado, which lasted until she was appointed to the Jefferson County District Court bench on October 1, 2005.
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