Vera M. Scanlon

This Magistrate Judge tries to be fair, but ultimately leans towards large defendants and big law firms.

Always late, never prepared, and always on the side of the defense. While she may have once worked in civil rights, these days she is a clown of a defense lawyer wearing a robe. We pray for the day she retires because once a magistrate judge is appointed, it is effectively for life.

an excellent judge and better person. Very respectful to counsel and litigants, thoughtful of those that appear before her, always trying to make the correct and fair decision. also possesses a first rate intellect and ability to see though misinformation. an excellent appointment

Mag. Judge Scanlon impartially decides all issues before her without bias of any kind. Judge Scanlon is even-handed, highly intelligent, courteous to all parties, and issues fair and well- reasoned decisions and orders. A very valuable judge in the EDNY and we are very lucky to have some of her calibre. Finally, Judge Scanlon has an optimal judicial temperament.

Run away if you can. She pays no attention to precedent, is never prepared, and always thinks she knows better. Takes punitive action against lawyers she does not like and LOVES big firm attorneys.

Took away my rights and doesn't care what she did. Hateful, mean woman.

What an awful, LAZY, LAZY, LAZY and foolish Judge. She seems totally unprepared all the time and can barely get herself up on the bench without yawning. Seems to have a real corporate bias and LOVES her some big firm defense lawyers in civil cases and AUSAs in criminal cases (same lawyers, different title). Never gives the small guy a fair chance, no matter how good the case. Her decisions make no sense to anyone (probably not even to her if she didn't write them).

Terrible, terrible, terrible!!!!! The more recent reviews are spot on! Probably a Trump voter (and knows about much law as he does). She is sooooo biased toward corporations. The Judge will deny your most basic discovery rights and stop your case in its tracks. She thinks she knows everything, but she doesn't know the law and doesn't seem to care. If she doesn't like you, she will screw with your case. Stay away if possible, never consent to her as a magistrate, and never agree to a settlement conference with her. You have been warned.

Magistrate Judge Scanlon has been a real disappointment. She is inattentive on any subject that does not grab her attention. She is often wrong on the law. Now that she is more comfortable wearing the robes, she often unfairly punishes lawyers in her rulings to intimidate or retaliate against them. She applies a different set of rules to different parties without any basis. I have been on the positive end of her decisions more often than not, but I still recognize she is straying far from what the law is. With her re-appointment is coming up, hopefully, the district judges will recognize that appointing her was a mistake.

Vera Scanlon is a terrible appointment as Magistrate Judge. She appears lazy, rarely reducing her rulings to writing, and consistently kicks the can down the road on important and even minor rulings. She is incredibly defense friendly in civil litigation, oftentimes taking more extreme positions than the defense counsel. To harass Plaintiffs, she has directed Plaintiffs to appear for even routine court conferences (where she scolds Plaintiff's counsel), while never imposing similar requirements on defendants. She seems to consistently allow defendants to subvert discovery and not adhere to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Her decisions appear poorly reasoned, citing improper or inapplicable case and statutory authority, and ignore mandatory authority she does not agree with. In employment, civil rights, consumer, government abuse, wrongful arrest, improper practice, abuse of process, and other cases involving information asymmetry, she prohibits discovery which might prove the claims. She has several times exceeded her authority, assessing which claims she views as lacking merit, and prohibiting discovery on those claims.

patient, exceptionaly prepared and even tempered. Magisrate Scanlon is patient and thoughtful. Her decisions are well reasoned and carrect. Has no discernable biases.

Her rulings often left me scratching my head and wondering how she got there. I often had the impression that she had barely glanced at the papers submitted. She is pleasant in the courtroom ,but mumbles and it often hard to understand her. I thought she did not have a good understanding of the facts of the case, because she never took the trouble. She never ruled on a motion to dismiss referred to her for recommendations and then asked what we wanted to do when discovery was complete. At that point we decided to withdraw and move for summary judgment.

I've won some and lost some with Judge Scanlon, but I must say that she is a fine judge and an equally fine human being. Very respectful to counsel, very courteous, as accommodating as possible. Doesn't rush counsel.

Seems like a nice lady who wants to do the right thing, but is clearly learning her way. She is neither decisive nor energetic, and unfortunately the last thing needed in this district is an energy hole in the front of the room (the poor excuse for a courtroom that they give the most junior magistrate judges in Brooklyn doesn't help).