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Hon. Naomi Reice Buchwald
District judge
S.D.N.Y.
2nd Circuit
Average Rating:
3.6
 -
30
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*Temperament:  
*Scholarship: 
*Industriousness: 
*Ability to Handle Complex Litigation:  
*Punctuality:  
*Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation:  
*Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation: 
Flexibility In Scheduling 
General Inclination Regarding Bail
General Incl. in Criminal Cases, Pre-Trial: 
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions:

General Incl. in Criminal Cases, Trial:

General Incl. in Criminal Cases, Sentencing:

Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators:

  Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating

(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
(1=Chronic`y Late,10=Always on Time)
(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)
(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
(1=Least Involved,10=Most Involved)

(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)

(1=Most Lenient,10=Most Harsh)

(1=10%,10=100%)

How familiar are you with the work of this judge?:
Participates in Oral Argument:
Quality of Questions During Oral Argument:
Attitude during oral argument:

Scholarship as reflected in Opinions:

General Inclination in Criminal Appeals:

General Inclination in Civil Rights Appeals:

General Inclination in Labor Law Appeals:

General Inclination in Immigration Appeals:

(1=Not at all familiar,10=Extremely familiar)

(1=Rarely,10=Always)

(1=Poor,10=Extremely insightful)

(1=Consistently inappropriate,10=Cons. respectful)

(1=Poor,10=Outstanding)

(1=Strongly Pro­Government,10=Strongly Pro­Defense)

(1=Strongly Pro-Defendant,10=Strongly Pro­Plaintiff)

(1=Strongly Pro­Employee,10=Strongly Pro­Employer)

(1=Strongly Pro­Immigrant,10=Strongly Pro­Gov.)

Non-lawyer rating (if applicable)

(1= worst, 10=best)

Ratings:

What others have rated

Hon. Naomi Reice Buchwald

evaluator

ID

date
Temp*  Sch*  Indu* Comp*   Punct*    Ev-Cv*   Ev-Cr* Flex  Bail  Crim  Settle Trial Sent Coop Average
Civil Litigation - Private

29126

1/2/18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

26846

1/2/18

2

1

1

1

2

1

0

0

0

0

1

0
0
0

1.3

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

25213

1/2/18

2

4

7

0

0

0

3

0

10

10

0

6
0
0

4

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

21489

1/2/14

2

2

2

2

2

3

0

3

0

0

2

0
0
0

2.2

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

20942

1/1/13

1

4

4

0

0

1

0

4

0

0

0

0
0
0

2.5

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

19683

1/1/13

1

1

3

2

4

1

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

2

read comment
Other

13670

1/1/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Other

13671

1/2/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Other

13675

1/1/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Other

13577

1/3/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

12720

1/2/11

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

0
0
0

1

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

12114

1/3/11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Litigant

12084

1/2/11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

10129

1/2/10

1

1

5

1

6

1

0

4

0

0

1

0
0
0

2.5

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Civil Litigation - Private

10000

1/1/10

0

0

0

2

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

2

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

9567

1/1/09

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

1

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

9513

1/2/09

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

9175

1/2/09

8

7

9

0

9

9

0

8

0

0

0

0
0
0

8.4

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

8645

1/2/09

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

7497

1/2/08

2

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

1.5

read comment
category average

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-

-

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

29126

1/2/18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

26846

1/2/18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

25213

1/2/18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

21489

1/2/14

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

20942

1/1/13

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

19683

1/1/13

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Other

13670

1/1/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Other

13671

1/2/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Other

13675

1/1/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Other

13577

1/3/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

12720

1/2/11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

12114

1/3/11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Litigant

12084

1/2/11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

10129

1/2/10

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

10000

1/1/10

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

9567

1/1/09

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

9513

1/2/09

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

9175

1/2/09

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

8645

1/2/09

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

7497

1/2/08

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
category average

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Non-lawyer Rating 
(if applicable)

evaluator

ID

date
Rating
Litigant

23492

1/2/16
10
read comment
Other

21937

1/2/14
1
read comment
Other

21014

1/2/13
1
read comment
Other

13673

1/1/12
1
read comment
Other

13681

1/1/12
1
read comment
Other

12082

1/2/11
1
read comment
Litigant

9658

1/1/10
3
read comment
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. Naomi Reice Buchwald

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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
29126
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
'Poor temperament' or 'a disrespectful and bullying manner' or 'Miserable temperament' are some of the things that other people have written. These are all true. It is a sad day for the federal judiciary when lawyers privately refer to her as 'F*ckwald' because she is so nasty and mean from the bench that they feel justified in disrespecting her name. The federal bench will be better when she final retires. She also doesn't read the briefs. This is well known. Her clerks read everything and then give her a summary. She does most decisions of instincts without having read anything or just does what her clerks recommended.
1/2/18, 6:47 PM
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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
26846
rating:
1.3
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Judge Buchwald is a political hack of a judge. She grossly mishandled a case in which I represented grievously injured NYC employees. She made it clear throughout the case that her only concern was to prevent the City from incurring ruinous liability. If I had known better at the time, I would have filed a complaint against her for judicial misconduct.
1/2/18, 6:57 PM
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Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
25213
rating:
4
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I tried a criminal case before Judge Buchwald. I found her rulings to be better on trial than pretrial, but still not great. She did leave me alone on cross for the most part, as well as on opening and closing. However, she ruled I opened the door to my client's criminal conviction during his testimony, and I believe she was wrong. Luckily it didn't affect the verdict. Her jury charge was good.
1/2/18, 1:58 PM
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Litigant
comment #:
23492
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald oversaw my case Kathy Knight-McConnell vs Mary Cummins. I reported McConnell to the SEC for securities fraud. In retaliation I was sued for defamation. I represented myself pro se. Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald was just and fair. I was worried she might be biased because I lived in California and not New York like the Plaintiff and Judge. I won the case.
1/2/16, 4:29 PM
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Other
comment #:
21937
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Wall Street's Top Cop's harsh words about you were much to kind. I would have given you a minus one if that had been an option.
1/2/14, 4:18 PM
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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
21489
rating:
2.2
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I certainly agree with the comments about the anti-plaintiff bias, unprofessional behavior and gross incompetence. She has no right to be on the bench.
1/2/14, 2:48 AM
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Other
comment #:
21014
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I would like Judge Buchwald to take into consideration Alwar Pouryan's case. That man is innocent! Where is the justice? That man has served the U.S. government all his life, and and the only words we hear from that man are 'God bless America.' Is this how we treat our citizens? Reconsider his case!
1/2/13, 2:46 AM
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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
20942
rating:
2.5
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Poor temperament. Dismisses legitimate, meticulously argued legal positions in a disrespectful and bullying manner. Her worst misbehavior (in terms of bullying and abuse of counsel), comes out in off-the-record telephone conferences. One of those judges who makes the practice of law absolutely miserable.
1/1/13, 11:22 PM
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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
19683
rating:
2
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Miserable temperament, intellectually dim and lazy, and completely in the pocket of defendants. It's astounding to think this person was selected to become a federal judge.
1/1/13, 12:57 PM
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Other
comment #:
13670
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I have read the ruling of the Monsanto trial. It seems the plaintiff's attorneys should have been a little more thorough by possibly bringing some of the 144 farmers, or some of the over 700 known farmers that have been sued, or threatened by Monsanto into the list of plaintiffs. [Redacted]
1/1/12, 7:45 PM
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Other
comment #:
13671
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
This is very disappointing. I am 79 years old and I continue to be astonished at what is happening in this country. Unfortunatly extremely unfit judges continue to serve. Just look at our so-called Supreme court. Venality, cupidity, dishonesty, stupidity rule the day. I mourn for the United States of America.
1/2/12, 12:55 AM
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comment #:
13673
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
'U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Buchwald, for the Southern District of New York, threw out the case brought by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and dozens of other plaintiff growers and organizations, criticizing the groups for a 'transparent effort to create a controversy where none exists.' The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed the suit last March on behalf of more than 50 organizations challenging the agricultural giant's patents on its genetically modified seeds. The group wanted a ruling that would prohibit Monsanto from suing the farmers or dealers if their organic seed becomes contaminated with Monsanto's patented biotech seed germplasm. But Judge Buchwald said Monsanto had not sued or even started the process of suing anyone of the plaintiffs or anyone in 'similar stead.' And water is dry. The Percy Schmeizer case in Canada. Monsanto sued him for patent infringement because their GMO pollen polluted his land - & Monsanto won. ' Apparently Ms. Buchwald is either ignorant, misinformed, or worse.
1/1/12, 2:52 PM
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Other
comment #:
13675
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I'm not a fan of this particular Judge, but the logic of the case and the lack of precedential influence of a ruling from the Percy Schmeizer case in Canada seems straightforward. We/You may have to wait until Monsanto actually sues (a) farmer(s) to get a day (or more) in court. Is this similar to asking for an order of protection against a bully who has not yet hit you. Please post the Percy Schmeizer case in Canada. Please refrain (IMHO) from ad feminam attacks against the Judge. It is impolite and makes the attacker look like a kook.
1/1/12, 3:33 PM
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Other
comment #:
13681
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
After reading about and supporting the efforts of hundreds of thousands of organic farmers and their supporters try to put an end to the blatant and easily provable harassment and intimidation by Monsanto, with hundreds of cases that are very well documented, Judge Buchwald has decided to give Monsanto a pass and has committed a gross miscarraige of justice on the American people and has effectively guaranteed the continued degradation of the health and safety of the general public. [Redacted by Ed.] justice is officially dead in the United States.
1/1/12, 1:35 PM
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Other
comment #:
13577
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Clearly, this Judge has [sided with] Monsanto by dismissing the case brought by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and dozens of other plaintiff growers and organizations, criticizing the groups for a 'transparent effort to create a controversy where none exists.' Tell that to the 144 farmers who Monsanto has brought patent infringement cases against. 'Monsanto has filed 144 patent infringement lawsuits against farmers between 1997 and April 2010, and won judgments against farmers they claimed made use of their seed without paying required royalties.' [redacted by Ed.]
1/3/12, 1:52 AM
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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
12720
rating:
1
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
She is a utter and believes african american indigent plaintiffs should be shining her shoes and not filing lawsuits
1/2/11, 12:52 AM
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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
12114
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Miserable disposition. Alerts defense attorneys during initial conferences of what she perceives to be flaws in a plaintiff's case.
1/3/11, 1:42 AM
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Other
comment #:
12082
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Biased and closed minded. A threat to innovation and technological growth. A stereotypical model of the 19th century Luddite.
1/2/11, 9:10 AM
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Litigant
comment #:
12084
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Judge Buchwald is very prejudice, bias, discriminatory Judge she has no repect for PRO SE and she allowed the attorneys not to present any discovery information she had special relationship with attorney's and she is just so dishonest about the case. She has many conversations with the attorneys without my consent simply unbelievable. ALSo Judge Buchwald and her follwers could careless about anyone's health or safety.
1/2/11, 5:18 PM
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Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
10129
rating:
2.5
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Completely and unashamedly biased. Does not have any semblance of judicial temperment. Her bias seeped into the jury making it unfair for the client at trial.
1/2/10, 4:38 PM
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