Joseph F. Bianco

Terrible. Another Big Law judge. To him, the federal courts are only for the rich & famous.

Judge Bianco is a perfect example of a judge who is a bully. Cannot be bothered with the details of the facts of the case on appeal, rather he relies on the tag lines that his clerks provide even when the tag lines are 180 degrees opposed to the facts and or verdicts in the case law being cited. This is a lazy and dangerous precedent. Loves to hear himself talk. Dismissive of legitimate criticisms of the poor logic he uses and relies on. Uses his position as a person who is almost above the law to secure his position as a judge who is completely above the law. Panders to corporations. Borders on being a reliable hack for powerful parties. When I see his name on a panel, I know there will be no objectivity on his part and all I can do for my client is appeal to the remaining judges on the panel to actually think the appeal through. Clearly a highly intelligent person but has become intellectually lazy. Waste of a potentially great judge.

As a pro-se and an injured party, Judge Bianco granted me leave to amend the complaint with a stunning decision. I could not believe it. We could use more like him. Therefore, Comment #: 22420 saying "If you are Pro Se, Judge Bianco will rule against you. Period" is not accurate.

The true test of a man is when he is granted immense power and remains fair and just. Judge Bianco has a keen intellect and is respectful to litigants and attorneys. His promotion was met with mixed emotion. Joy to see his hard work and legal ability recognized, but sadness to lose him as a trial judge.

This Judge conducted the oath ceremony for citizenship.The entire courtroom was moved with his speeches and stories of his grandparents. What a wonderful day. God Bless America and God Bless Judge Bianco. We were so happy to share our incredible moment with a Judge who clearly is so passionate in what he does. He gave all the kids a present. So kind & thoughtful. Thank you Judge.

Part of the problem in this Country. Willing to put political correctness above the truth to gain advancement in his career. He is part of the greater problem this Country faces. With no borders and no boundaries, we are no longer a Country thanks to judges like him. God bless the USA.

Three week criminal trial. No favor or bias for or against the government or the defendant. Keeps a steady and efficient -- but not overbearing -- pace. Quickly grasps the issues. Wasn't personally invested in outcome. Let's you try your case. Fosters an atmosphere of cooperation and projects neutrality which makes it less necessary to be strident and thereby elevates the lawyers. Jurors in post-trial discussion (without him present) uniformly voiced respect for him and said they felt respected as jurors. As taxpayers we certainly get our money's worth: He worked through lunch and after court on other matters, including other cases and meeting with student groups.

An unusual judge and unusual human being. Judge Bianco combines a strong intelligence with a dedication to courteous decency that is rare. Regardless of whether he is disagreeing with my trial positions (with thoughtful explanations) or "imposing" an unusually compassionate sentence to a rehabilitated defendant, he is an exceptional jurist.

This judge is an enigma wrapped in a mystery encased in the facade of neutrality. In a civil case that he took rather than refer to the magistrate for discovery, he favored local counsel and refused to sanction delay and sharp practice. The other lawyer has been sanctioned all over Southern New York, by the way. I tried to be as nice as I could, but he barely gave my client a win on summary judgment, then the trial was, with some exceptions, a travesty. Luckily he made so many mistakes, and a separate appellate decision came down rebuking one of his holdings such that I might win a reversal. He does not write opinions, but merely reads them into the record. His evidentiary rulings are from the hip, and be careful what you ask for - twice he sustained my objections with side comments that would have made it better for me not to have objected; could not have seen that coming. He referred to a pre-trial transcript in ruling a point and a holding on another issue, neither of which (the holding or the transcript) actually existed. He gave us one small good ruling that he would not have been reversed on had he not. For the most part, however, he took sides with a bombastic loudmouth whom other judges have found a disgrace to the profession. He has to work with this person everyday, but, if I get a remand, I will ask the judge to recuse himself. The second worst trial I've ever experienced. Easy to get along with at sidebar and a great temperament, but I hope I never appear before him again. I've appealed the travesty of a trial, however, so I may well get what I do not wish for.

I was very disappointed with Judge Bianco. He is clearly disciplined, scholarly, very sharp, highly qualified, even tempered -- all the things you would expect in a federal judge. But he hated my lawyer. And he killed my case. The other side must be pleased. Their defenses made no sense; they had no case; but Judge Bianco pulled up an excuse to hand them a dismissal. My lawyer is crap. He should not be practicing law. But this case is solid and the excuse Judge Bianco used to dismiss it -- out of nowhere? dismissing motions as "obvious"? Some people say he was paid off. I don't get that impression at all. He didn't like my lawyer. So he handed the other side a case they should lose. Even they were delightfully blindsighted. It's something of a blessing now that I can amend the complaint for the state court. I have hired additional counsel to correct the things we should have corrected in the federal court that the other side will want to use against us. So now they can't. My first experience in federal court. There was no excuse for this. Bianco got sick of it. And he didn't even try to pretend otherwise. I am very, very disappointed with this judge. Tsk tsk.

Sorry to say Justice Bianco does not know the diffracted of days between Oct. 31,2005 and November 1,2005. He believed it is one week and wrote in his judgment trusting a misleading affidavit. Many other issues.?

If you are Pro Se, Judge Bianco will rule against you. Period. In my case, attorneys who never appeared in a civil rights case in IL, and used Bianco's testimony as a witness in this same case in IL - actually prevailed in both NY and IL. Almost $98k in judgments against me, despite the attorneys not being licensed to practice law in IL, were also successful on a motion for summary judgment before Judge Bianco, based upon my participation in the case in IL, in defense of my Title VII rights. He never considered my evidence. The only saving grace is that now the 2nd circuit will decide if Judge Bianco had jurisdiction, or if the Plaintiff had standing. See 14-3706 2nd Circuit. In my case, justice was not only blind, but deaf and dumb, too. This is sad, because before this - I held Judge Bianco in high regard. His conduct in my case was unconscionable.

Judge Bianco is a different animal than most legal types, let alone most judges: He realizes that he is human! I have always found him of cheerful temperament, unwilling to engage in attorney distractions. His rulings, even when against me, are presented in a manner in which the loser understand his line of reasoning, even if she disagrees with it. I hope he gets elevated to the Circuit someday.

Very respectful of attorneys. Very smart.

He does not believe in the documentary evidence. Also, he does not know the time difference between October 31st and November 1st -- he ruled that the difference is one week, and not one day.

Well-informed and fair but somewhat naive, in my opinion.

Judge Bianco is an exemplary model of justice who is thoroughly prepared for all litigation. He uses fair judgement and considers every litigant as a human person in his courtroom.

The judge was extremely fair and reasonable in all pretrial discussions and extremely courteous at oral arguments. He asked questions and let you know what he thought without being abusive or ill tempered. His decision was thorough and well thought out.

An extremely uncooperative Judge who thinks he is above the law of the Constitution of the United States of America.

I find it hard to believe that I am being treated to the worst from JUDGE JOSEPH BIANCO, yet others think this man is a nice guy. Wow! I guess when you have something to hide - you never let the good people see what you're doing. Reading opinions in case books, one can forget that a judge is a living, breathing person anxious to arrive at the ‘right’ decision when such a panacea may not be achievable,” said attendee Gabriel Gershowitz ’09. “Judge Bianco offers a model for nevertheless striving for that admirable goal.”