Alan S. Gold

Too bad he decided to take inactive status-the best trial judge on the federal bench and a GOOD GUY!

No. 09-12129; Gold really got this one wrong. His personal affront and short-cutting tactics backfired. The circuit reverses and remands. Seems like the prosecutors actions WERN'T so agregious. So the award of attorneys fees ($600,000) and reprimand is REVERSED. Apparently Gold's one-sided reasoning didn't pass muster. The district court had no discretion to award Shaygan attorney’s fees and costs. When it considers a motion under the Hyde Amendment, a district court has every right to consider evidence of subjective ill-will, but that evidence is not dispositive. The district court violated the civil rights of the two lead prosecutors, Cronin and Hoffman, when it publically reprimanded them without first affording them due process.

If only every Judge were like Alan Gold... he is smart, listens, does not take sides, bores in to seek the truth (in bench trials), studies, and writes lucidly. What else do you want?

Assignments to his division are greeted with cheers.

As good as it gets.

amen to the comment you published as a notable comment. He is great.

Extremely fair, and respectful to lawyers and defendants. He is an excellent judge.

Judge Gold has handled some of the most complicated cases in the district (Exxon, Dupont, the Miami cop case (the RICO trial from 03), the Battle RICO case from this year) and has done so beautifully. He is very careful to apply the Eleventh Circuit law, and is rarely reversed. He is also kind, with a serious but humble judicial temperment. I am always elated to see his name on a caption because I know the opinion will be well-reasoned and fair. I think he is highly underrated because he doesn't have appellate or political aspirations like the other gold stars in the district (Jordan, Altonaga) but he is an outstanding district judge.