Darren L. Vahle

Darren L. Vahle was appointed to the Eighteenth Judicial District Court by Governor John Hickenlooper in July 2018. He was first appointed to the county court bench in June 2008. He presides over a criminal docket. Voters retained him in 2020 with 76.2 percent of the votes cast on the question: 369,024 yes and 115,290 no.

He grew up in Arapahoe County and earned a psychology degree, cum laude, from Westmont College. He worked at a juvenile detention center and at the Denver Children's Home before attending the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he graduated a semester early in the top 10 percent of his class. He then joined the District Attorney's Office in the 18th Judicial District. He has been a volunteer judge for the Arapahoe County High School mock trial competition for more than 15 years and coaches varsity boys' volleyball at Littleton Public Schools.

The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 7 to 0 that he meets performance standards, with one member abstaining, one member absent and one vacancy on the commission. The commission writes that attorney and non-attorney respondents, "although low in response numbers, found no performance issues in any area."

His work on a criminal docket "received praise for his demeanor, prompt decisions, knowledge of the law, fairness, diligence and case management", the commission writes. It reports that he was described as "calm, fair, diligent, courteous and a team player." It also writes: "At times Judge Vahle can be critical and make undue comments, but he assured the Commission that his aim is not to be critical but to maintain a high standard in the court; he takes his values and the consideration of others as foremost." The commission concluded that his "knowledge base is well above average, that he is a trusted peer, and a key pillar for many."