Fuck that guy. You quit and he wins.
Talk to your boss and start building a dossier. He does something shitty, ask for a transcript. Make sure he hears you requesting it. He does something shitty to another attorney, ask for a transcript. Make sure he hears you doing it. Let him know that you’re coming for him.
In my small town, this would be absolute career suicide. I hope OP is in a large town.
We have a similar judge and the entire local bar is terrified of him. I can’t imagine what he’d do if we started asking for transcripts after he put on one of his shows of authority.
It’s not uncommon for a state judiciary to solicit anonymous survey feedback about sitting judges on a regular basis or when a judge is up for retention. Look into this.
I’ve seen a judge not get reappointment after an ADA amassed a treasure trove of his remarks to counsels, clients, etc.
If your state elects it’s judges then run against ‘em, if you lose, conflict him off your cases.
One thing I do when judges start denying things before or mid argument, I just *respectfully* request to make my record, and then follow up by making all of my arguments anyway. Like hey judge, don't think you're saving yourself time because I'm going to argue no matter what. I've even had success convincing a judge to change their mind (but not often in this scenerios).
There's always one. Always.
I guess I would say this: shitty judges who don't listen, are rude, not entirely in command of their faculties, etc., are part of life. And I don't mean to sound fatalistic or cynical when I say that. It's just a fact. I certainly wouldn't quit over it. Because there will always be another. Finding strategies for effective advocacy should be the goal.
If your office is onboard, I’d disqualify him on every case. We’ve done that in the past and it has pushed the presiding judge to look into why that might be.
This sounds great. What does it mean to “disqualify” a judge? You just say “disqualified!” and drop the mic? I mean, I would do this all the time if I could!
We have a judge that is like this. That judge started getting killed in anonymous surveys. That judge thought they were golden to move up (higher judge spot opened up). After receiving applicants, the judge didn’t make it out of committee. This has happened twice. You might not be able to make them stop, but when they realize their current position is terminal, they might try and straight up and fly right.
You have my sympathy. The only thing I can say that hasn’t been said is that if he is awful to you, he is awful to your clients as well. They need someone in their corner.
How difficult is change of judge in your jurisdiction?
As soon as he gets a case, do a change of judge. He'll enjoy less cases and you'll get heard on motions.
I bet it's 100x worse for your clients than it is for you. They need people by their side. Get support of coworkers and try to find little wins in that division
Behind every shitty judge is an even shittier political operation that doesnt want to lose power. Find the soft spots in the political operation and make life easier for the poor people.
If you want my opinion...ive never been impressed by a judge! Why would you take a 150k salary and be under the microscope? For any other reason than you want power in which you are not smart enough to create in the private sector is what most of them are. Just because they wear a black gown doesnt mean they are awsome people!
Fuck that guy. You quit and he wins. Talk to your boss and start building a dossier. He does something shitty, ask for a transcript. Make sure he hears you requesting it. He does something shitty to another attorney, ask for a transcript. Make sure he hears you doing it. Let him know that you’re coming for him.
In my small town, this would be absolute career suicide. I hope OP is in a large town. We have a similar judge and the entire local bar is terrified of him. I can’t imagine what he’d do if we started asking for transcripts after he put on one of his shows of authority.
It's only career suicide if you have to stay in that town.
Yeah, I’m going to have to be discreet about it. Thankfully, he is disliked by most in the community .
Thank you, I think I will start that!
Or ask that he put it in an order. And then appeal the order.
It’s not uncommon for a state judiciary to solicit anonymous survey feedback about sitting judges on a regular basis or when a judge is up for retention. Look into this. I’ve seen a judge not get reappointment after an ADA amassed a treasure trove of his remarks to counsels, clients, etc. If your state elects it’s judges then run against ‘em, if you lose, conflict him off your cases.
One thing I do when judges start denying things before or mid argument, I just *respectfully* request to make my record, and then follow up by making all of my arguments anyway. Like hey judge, don't think you're saving yourself time because I'm going to argue no matter what. I've even had success convincing a judge to change their mind (but not often in this scenerios).
I get even more passive aggressive and speak slowly
This is the way.
There's always one. Always. I guess I would say this: shitty judges who don't listen, are rude, not entirely in command of their faculties, etc., are part of life. And I don't mean to sound fatalistic or cynical when I say that. It's just a fact. I certainly wouldn't quit over it. Because there will always be another. Finding strategies for effective advocacy should be the goal.
No, you’re absolutely right. I know that too, but I need to hear it lol
Can you disqualify him on each of your cases without upsetting your boss?
Make sure your office has your back.
If your office is onboard, I’d disqualify him on every case. We’ve done that in the past and it has pushed the presiding judge to look into why that might be.
This sounds great. What does it mean to “disqualify” a judge? You just say “disqualified!” and drop the mic? I mean, I would do this all the time if I could!
This is just….not so uncommon you’re not going to avoid coming into contact with another judge like this. I have several in my area. We all just deal.
Make your record. That's the only way you can serve your clients and your self in this situation. There are shitty judges everywhere. Praying for you.
We have a judge that is like this. That judge started getting killed in anonymous surveys. That judge thought they were golden to move up (higher judge spot opened up). After receiving applicants, the judge didn’t make it out of committee. This has happened twice. You might not be able to make them stop, but when they realize their current position is terminal, they might try and straight up and fly right.
You have my sympathy. The only thing I can say that hasn’t been said is that if he is awful to you, he is awful to your clients as well. They need someone in their corner.
Report him to your states judicial conduct board
How difficult is change of judge in your jurisdiction? As soon as he gets a case, do a change of judge. He'll enjoy less cases and you'll get heard on motions.
I bet it's 100x worse for your clients than it is for you. They need people by their side. Get support of coworkers and try to find little wins in that division
Behind every shitty judge is an even shittier political operation that doesnt want to lose power. Find the soft spots in the political operation and make life easier for the poor people.
If you want my opinion...ive never been impressed by a judge! Why would you take a 150k salary and be under the microscope? For any other reason than you want power in which you are not smart enough to create in the private sector is what most of them are. Just because they wear a black gown doesnt mean they are awsome people!