District
6 reviews
As someone else noted, she is easily persuaded by government lawyers, unable to see through deceptive and misleading arguments, perjury, and discovery misconduct. She made legal errors in her opinions. Her age should be a concern. In her 80s, she should retire from the bench.
My client was a third-party involved in a very large action as the result of a discovery dispute. Plaintiffs' class attorney was prosecuting an action based on a prior government prosecution, and plainly had no independent evidence supporting the filing of suit. Naturally, class plaintiffs' issued grossly overbroad discovery, imposing massive costs on the third parties dragged into plaintiffs' dragnet. The district judge (or her law clerks) failed to follow any of the case law, all of which was deferential to third-parties trapped in someone else's case. There was no evident understanding of the industry in which the case arose, the inadequacies of plaintiffs' case, or how gross an imposition compliance was - in a context where plaintiffs' counsel had plainly done no homework, except to theorize off of the government's earlier prosecution (with different burdens of proof and focus). How many cases like these result in massive waste to third parties all because a judge can't grasp what is going on.
she thinks she's smarter than lawyers and sets out to prove it by being punitive. Doubt her intellectual honesty. Bias a big issue.
Cannot make up her mind and stick to it. Seems to have trouble understanding written arguments and can't make decisions (always a great trait for a judge). Far too swayed -- even intimidated -- by glib arguments from polished big firm lawyers.
Courteous to counsel. She gives too much leeway in delays but is fair.
Not an impressive judge. Has great difficulty with complex issues and does not seem to spend the time needed to review the cases and grasp what is before her. Good sense of humor, but very snappy and impatient with attorneys, very mercurial and sometimes petulant. Even temperament in front of a jury, but otherwise can be downright unpleasant. Unpredictable, changes her mind, mostly because does not seem to pay as much attention as she should to briefs when they are presented before her. Can also be very biased, favors the large law firms and the establishment, and can be unsympathetic to the point of unfair with individuals.