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Timothy Gerard Kerns

District Court Judge, 19th Judicial District

Running in 2026: District Court Judge, 19th Judicial District (November 3)

Judicial performance evaluation, 2026

Commission recommendation: Meets performance standards (8–0) · 8 of 8 commissioners voted “meets”

The commission's narrative

The Nineteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by vote of 8-0, with two commissioners absent, that Judge Timothy Gerard Kerns MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS .

Judge Kerns currently presides over a criminal docket in District Court in Weld County, Colorado. His performance was evaluated using the following statutory criteria: integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public. The Commission found that Judge Kerns generally excelled in each category. His personable demeanor produces a courtroom atmosphere focused on respect for everyone involved. His oral rulings from the bench clearly frame the legal issues and reflect a solid knowledge of the law. His written rulings are thorough and intelligently expressed. Furthermore, the Commission found his judicial style to be authentic and thoughtful, and appreciated his ability to adapt to the uniqueness of each case.

The Commission’s conclusions are based on observing Judge Kerns in court, a personal interview, reviewing opinions he authored, and reviewing survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had been involved in cases in his courtroom. Those survey responses produced an overall score of 3.8 out of 4, which is higher than the state average. Additionally, 100% of attorneys and 82% of non-attorneys responding to the survey stated that he meets performance standards. These high marks are consistent with the independent evaluations of Commission members.

Judge Kerns was appointed to the District Court bench in January 2011, after serving three years as a County Court judge. Prior to becoming a judge, he was a partner in a law firm that focused on mediation, family law, dependency and neglect proceedings, and general civil matters. He received his undergraduate degrees from Central Methodist College in 1991. He earned his law degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in 1994. Finally, Judge Kerns serves on several community boards, including the Weld County Pretrial Services Board, Weld County Bar Association Board, and Peer to Peer Judicial Coaching Board.

1300 Broadway, Suite 220 Denver, Colorado 80203

(303) 928-7777

The evaluation on judicialperformance.colorado.gov · 2026 Retention Survey Report (PDF) · 2023 Interim Survey Report (PDF)

From the state's Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation. A commission of citizens, attorneys and non-attorneys for each judicial district (the state commission for appellate judges) reviews each judge standing for retention and finds that they meet, or do not meet, performance standards. Voters decide.

Colorado property

$562,104 at the county assessors' values, 1 parcel we matched to the property on their disclosures.

KindCountyAssessor's value
home—$562,104

The county assessor's actual value (the 2025 reappraisal, an estimate of market value in mid-2024), from the state's parcel records. We match parcels by the owner's name where their office or race is, or by the legal description or address on their disclosure; we don't show addresses, parcel numbers or co-owners, or, for judges and district attorneys, the county. Property held in a name we can't connect to them isn't here.

Personal Financial Disclosures

StatementFiledWhat it lists
2026
District Court Judge
2026-01-0210 compensated lobbying, 14 colorado property, 11 state-regulated businesses
2025
District Court Judge
2025-01-074 income sources, 3 colorado property, 4 offices and directorships, 22 state-regulated businesses
2024
Court Judge 19th Judicial District
2024-01-046 income sources, 7 sources of compensation, 5 assets, 3 colorado property, 5 offices and directorships, 3 state-regulated businesses, 7 debts

Findings

None.