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THE ROBING ROOM
where judges are judged
Hon. Mark Dinsmore
Magistrate judge
S.D.Ind.
7th Circuit
Average Rating:
6.2
-
5
rating(s)
rating submitted
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Ratings:
What others have rated
Hon. Mark Dinsmore
evaluator
ID
date
Temp* Sch* Indu* Comp* Punct* Ev-Cv* Ev-Cr* Flex Bail Crim Settle Trial Sent Coop Average
Civil Litigation - Private
32852
10/25/19
1
3
4
2
6
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
2.4
Civil Litigation - Private
21936
1/2/14
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
20886
1/2/13
2
5
2
3
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2.7
Court Staff
20735
1/2/13
10
10
8
10
10
10
0
10
0
0
10
0
0
0
9.7
Civil Litigation - Private
18875
1/2/12
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
7
9
10
10
0
0
0
10
Civil Litigation - Private
12180
1/2/11
3
3
3
2
2
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
2.5
category average
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Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating
Fam
Par
Qu-Arg
At-Arg
Sch
Cri
Civ
Lab
Imm
How familiar are you with the work of this judge? (1=Not at all familiar,10=Extremely familiar)
Participates in Oral Argument (1=Rarely,10=Always)
Quality of Questions During Oral Argument (1=Poor,10=Extremely insightful)
Attitude during oral argument (1=Consistently inappropriate,10=Consistently respectful)
Scholarship as reflected in Opinions (1=Poor,10=Outstanding)
General Inclination in Criminal Appeals (1=Strongly ProGovernment,10=Strongly ProDefense)
General Inclination in Civil Rights Appeals (1=Strongly Pro-Defendant,10=Strongly ProPlaintiff)
General Inclination in Labor Law Appeals (1=Strongly ProEmployee,10=Strongly ProEmployer)
General Inclination in Immigration Appeals (1=Strongly ProImmigrant,10=Strongly ProGov.)
evaluator
ID
date
Fam Par Qu-Arg At-Arg Sch Cri Civ Lab Imm
Civil Litigation - Private
32852
10/25/19
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
21936
1/2/14
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
20886
1/2/13
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Court Staff
20735
1/2/13
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
18875
1/2/12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
12180
1/2/11
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
category average
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Non-lawyer Rating
(if applicable)
evaluator
ID
date
Rating
category average
-
Temp*
Sch*
Indu*
Comp*
Punct*
Ev-Cv*
Ev-Cr*
Flex
Bail
Crim
Settle
Trial
Sent
Coop
Temperament (1=Awful 10=Excellent)
Scholarship (1=Awful 10=Excellent)
Industriousness (1=Not at all industrious 10=Highly industrious)
Ability to Handle Complex Litigation (1=Awful 10=Excellent)
Punctuality (1=Chronically Late 10=Always on Time)
Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation (1=Demonstrates Bias 10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation (1=Demonstrates Bias 10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Flexibility in Scheduling (1=Completely Inflexible 10=Very Flexible)
General Inclination Regarding Bail (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pre-Trial (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions (1=Least Involved 10=Most Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)
Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators (1=10% 10=100%)
comments1
Comments:
What others have said about
Hon. Mark Dinsmore
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
32852
rating:
2.4
I have been a lawyer and a member of the judiciary. I have worked with and appeared in front of almost every judge in Indiana. I can honestly say this man has no business being a judge. He has the most unpredictable temper I have ever seen. He will be friendly one minute and screaming spitting mad the next. He is pro plaintiff, which can be good. He is obsessed with forcing settlements, under threats of orders to show cause and claims that every defense argument is an issue of fact for trial. I have never heard anyone say anything good about the guy. I am shocked that that his Article III bosses don’t put him in his place or out the door. I cringe every time he gets assigned to my case. Horrible human being
10/25/19, 1:20 PM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
21936
rating:
0
If all you want from a mediator is someone to run numbers back and forth, then this judge won't disappoint you. If he actually reads the settlement conference submissions, you will never know it. He does not provide any insight into the case and does nothing to help the parties bridge the gap. If he is your mediator, don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.
1/2/14, 8:27 AM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
20886
rating:
2.7
Beware of any Judge Dinsmore 'settlement conference' scheduled after you file an appeal to the Seventh Circuit. It might be an ambush to persuade your client to voluntarily dismiss her appeal.
1/2/13, 7:12 AM
Court Staff
comment #:
20735
rating:
9.7
I served in his chambers as an intern for several months. I thought that Judge Dinsmore was a very fair and even-handed judge. He knew the issues before ruling on motions, and knew when someone was being difficult just to be difficult. He has a natural desire to look at both sides of the case and even deal with issues that weren't directly brought up by the parties and weren't a requirement of the court to investigate. He likes getting cases off the docket, sure, but not at the expense of fairness or justice. There were several times he took time to talk to me one-on-one about a case that I was working on or had taken an interest in. He routinely ate lunch with the rest of the staff, and was happy to answer questions about cases. A great judge for an internship, and - contrary to another comment - does not rule on any motion without being fully aware of the issues presented.
1/2/13, 3:12 PM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
18875
rating:
10
This guy hits it out of the park. Very bright, hard working, fair and efficient. It is evident he had a lot of litigation experience before becoming a magistrate judge. If you want good and prompt rulings, he is your man. His fairness is a little surprising given that he practiced at a big firm for a long time. He would be a great district judge.
1/2/12, 7:34 AM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
12180
rating:
2.5
The recent roundtable summed this one up the best: he seems inclined to be plaintiff friendly and seems to focus less on the actual case and more on meeting statistics for deadlines to remove cases from the federal docket. He pushes Defendnats to put money on the table and rules without without what appears to be real thought onthe spceifics of the case. Frankly, my opinion is too pushy, too plaintiff friendly and he operates onhis general thoughts without regard to the pscific case. Hopefully experience will change this judge.
1/2/11, 6:38 AM
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