Debra M. Gunkel, a lawyer and judge in southeastern Colorado, has been censured by the Colorado Supreme Court for abusing her position and multiple drunk driving arrests.
Gunkel was arrested in 2018 for driving under the influence. According to reports, Gunkel told the arresting officers she was a judge and asked them to take her home. She pled guilty to the DUI and received a two-year probationary sentence, which she broke less than a year later during a second DUI. She again informed officers of her official position.
Gunkel is a part-time Baca County Judge, and her behavior seems particularly egregious, especially following other recent misconduct cases involving Colorado judges. In April, for example, an Arapahoe County District Judge was forced to resign after using the N-word in front of black court employees.
The Colorado Supreme Court, concerned over Gunkel’s impartiality in cases involving defendants facing DUI charges, ordered that no DUI or probation revocation cases be assigned to her.
Denver defense lawyer and Court TV correspondent Jeffrey Wolf was recently interviewed about the impact Gunkel could have had on cases that mirror her own experiences with the law.
“In my experience, judges whose lives have been touched by the system are more understanding to the defendants in their courtrooms,” said Wolf.
Last week, the Colorado Supreme Court censured Gunkel for failing to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the judiciary and for abusing her position with the judicial office. She also agreed to retire within three days.
