Amanda J. Philipps

Amanda J. Philipps was appointed to the Fourth Judicial District Court in January 2024. Her docket is half criminal and half civil, after an earlier docket split between domestic relations and civil cases, and she is the presiding judge for the court's criminal cases. Before her appointment she was a magistrate in the Fourth Judicial District, a public defender and a lawyer in private practice. She graduated from Middlebury College in 2000 and from the University of Colorado Law School in 2004. She volunteers with organizations that teach about the effect of inequities in the judicial system.

The Fourth Judicial District Judicial Performance Commission voted 10 to 0 that she meets performance standards. Only 23 of the 892 people invited answered its survey. Respondents rated her above 3.0 out of 4.0 on every measure, and the two appellate judges who responded each gave her 4.0. The commission writes that "the Survey results are not statistically valid due to low response rate" and that "the high marks comport with the other information the Commission collected."

Attorneys and non-attorneys described her as hard-working, calm, knowledgeable, fair and respectful. The commission writes that she is recognized "for her deep knowledge and experience in criminal law", that "Her opinions are clear and well written" and that she "proactively manages her cases so that they are efficiently heard and determined." On civil cases it writes: "Despite lacking a background in civil law, Judge Philipps has made significant progress in handling civil matters from inception through trial." The commission calls her "an important addition to the District Court bench."