Denise Cote

With all due respect to the last poster who seems to be a disgurntled litgant, she's a star of the judiciary even if she leans toward the government. You could do a lot worse.

Denise Cote does not deserve the title honorable. She is not smart by any means as she prefers a nasty disposition rather than a judicious temperament. In my case, she ignored demonstrative evidence to fit her false narrative. When it was brought to her attention, she quipped it's not her problem. She has no regard for Justice.

As other commenters have noted, she pre-judges the case and harbors a strong anti-plaintiff, pro-corporate bias. She literally rules on motions by defendants without waiting to hear the plaintiff's opposition. Because she thinks she's smarter than everyone else, she does not feel obliged to hear both sides. She should not be a judge.

I could not fault Judge Cote's demeanor and temperament. However, all her rulings betrayed a very strong and transparent bias towards the corporate defendants (and also, perhaps, to the prestigious large law firm representing the corporate defendants); to the detriment of the solo employment attorney representing the plaintiff. Very troubling indeed.

Shame on you. Your sentencing of Weiner the wand waver proves that wealth and political influence overrules justice.

The complaints here about Judge Cote tell me more about the writers than the judge. Be prepared, don't make ridiculous arguments before her and maybe you'll actually understand that she is a fair judge, tough on both sides -- which is all you could ever want in a federal judge. I have had multiple cases before her and find that in the end my clients get exactly what they deserve. She's tough on both sides, expects lawyers to know what they're talking about and defendants to act responsibly once the cases begin. Her temperament is fantastic -- even as she's crushing you with a ruling. We are lucky to have Judge Cote and I will surely miss her when she retires.

Poor demeanor to be sure -- seems to be constantly looking to berate everyone - however, at the end of the day, a very solid judge

It's obvious to anyone who has any knowlwedge of this woman's behavior in our so-called judicial system that she is an arrogant and abusive distorter of what justice ought to stand for...from hiring her friends (nepotosm), scolding attorneys unnecessarily (unprofessional)...to imposing onerous judgements totally unbased on fact. She should be investigated by an objective judicial branch.

If Apple had launched its music business as Judge Cote views how business negotiations are supposed to be conducted, there would be no iTunes store, no iPod, and probably no Apple as we know it. Judge Cote was openly biased against Apple before the ebook case began. She remains openly hostile to Apple now. Her predisposition shows limited knowledge of how new technology like the iPad comes to market. Apple has no choice but to appeal her ruling. But first it has to overcome her bias against, and lack of understanding of, how dramatically new technology and business operate. From Computer World: "[Judge] Cote also offered a potential remedy: Apple would be allowed to sign new contracts with the publishers, one at a time. It would have eight months to sign a contract with one publisher, then the next eight months to sign with another publisher, and so on. In this way, Apple would not be dealing with all the publishers at once, preventing more collusion, [Judge] Cote said." Before Apple introduced the iPad, Amazon had a monopoly on ebooks. In my opinion, this case has less to do with protecting consumers or publishers, and more to do with protecting Amazon's business model. Whether that was the DOJ's intention or not, that is the result.

I was the target of a frivolous lawsuit and my case came before this judge. My lawyer told me how fortunate I was that Judge Cote "reads all the material" in a case and does not take the lazy route and pass to a jury. Thank goodness Judge Cote is a top-notch judge who went over everything very carefully and was able to come to the truth, that the case against me was someone with an agenda and that nothing the person, or her lawyers was truthful. I felt I had real criminals after me, using the court system as a tool to harm others. Later I found out this woman had sued about five other people and all were dismissed from the court. My case was dismissed in full and Judge Cote found the case so frivolous that the party suing me was fined. Although a lot of money was spent in my defense, at least I was lucky to have a judge who read everything and then ruled in the favor of the innocent. One thing America courts need is The English Rule, which means when frivolous cases are filed, and innocent people are tortured in the courts, the lawyers for the ones bringing frivlous cases must pay the legal fees of the wronged party. After my experience, I believe that such a rule would help all of those who are tortured by criminals through the legal system. Thank goodness for a good & fair judge like Judge Cote. No one bringing a frivolous or wrong case before this judge will provide compliments to this judge, only because she is so excellent at her job. My hat's off to Judge Cote.

A judge that reads all the material and who means business, but that is what is needed in the court system.

As several commenters have noted, this judge pre-determines which parties should win at the outset, and is blatantly enamored of big-name firms and gov't entities. Engages in legal contortions to reach outcomes on behalf of her pet party, even to the extent of ignoring applicable black-letter law, instead relying on unbriefed decisions from obscure jurisdictions with no connection to the matter. God help us all if she is elevated to the Second Circuit.

Meticulous attention to details of facts and law, without any real grasp of either. Fastidious. Insists on neat and tidy, even at the expense of fairness. Disdainful. Generally treats lawyers like schoolchildren. Biased. Favors litigant whose lawyers she thinks more prestigious. Turns a deaf ear to others, and if they press to be heard, gets very nasty. All in all, as ill-suited for the role of judge as any I've encountered in many years of practice.

In the search for justice, don't stop in this Judge's courtroom. She was self absorbed and snide. Utterly lacks common sense. Far too eager to impose her will (apparently at random). Her not too well thought out orders create far more issues and difficulties then they resolve. Add to that a palpable arrogance and you've got Judge Cote - a real winner.

In a complex administrative law matter, Judge Cote exhibited many of the unfortunate qualities expressed by others here. It seemed clear that she had pre-judged the case and the parties before hearing the merits, and proceeded to rule accordingly without regard for the facts and law. Definitely seemed to value timeliness and procedural technicalities, whether based in the rules or her own sense of how parties should behave, above all else. She is smart and seems hardworking, and tended to ground her rulings on discretionary issues that are more difficult to appeal. Overall, an unsettling experience, and the only time in my career that I felt my client was denied a meaningful opportunity to be heard on the merits in a U.S. court.

Judge Cote's pre-disposition and bias are evident from the first moments she is encountered in the Courtroom and her inability to even allow a contrary opinion to be expressed is manifested by cutting counsel short, and, if necessary, hanging up the phone on them (during a transcribed phone conference), to ensure that a complete record is not developed that would enable an appeal of her unsupprtable and prejudicial opinions. Wouldn't want to let the facts get in the way. Bad news for the bar.

definately pre determines issues. If you are a plaintiff or a criminal defendant you don't have a chance.

Arrogant, condescending, smarmy.

Pro Prosecution. Unfortunately, she rules in a manner that is extremely biased towards criminal defendants. Her rulings are generally "sly" and calculated to ignore the pertinent issues raised, which is always allows the prosecution team to pervail.

It is not surprising that a government attorney would sing Judge Cote's praises, given that she is possibly the most anti-plaintiff judge on the bench. Well, Judge Buchwald would give her a run for that title, but still!