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THE ROBING ROOM
where judges are judged
Hon. John E. McDermott
Magistrate judge
C.D.Cal.
9th Circuit
Average Rating:
6
-
2
rating(s)
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Ratings:
What others have rated
Hon. John E. McDermott
evaluator
ID
date
Temp* Sch* Indu* Comp* Punct* Ev-Cv* Ev-Cr* Flex Bail Crim Settle Trial Sent Coop Average
Civil Litigation - Private
26631
1/2/18
2
6
2
2
9
7
0
8
0
0
3
0
0
0
4.7
Criminal Defense Lawyer
18405
1/1/12
8
8
8
5
7
8
0
2
0
0
8
0
0
0
7.3
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
26631
1/2/18
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
18405
1/1/12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
category average
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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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. John E. McDermott
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
26631
rating:
4.7
I've practiced in front of many federal judges, and Judge McDermott is, in my opinion, one of the worst, if not the worst I've experienced. His temperament is poor, first and foremost, and inconsistent. One hearing, he will be gruff and angry, and the next, he will be perfectly fine and cordial. More concerning, the rulings on discovery, in particular, are very inconsistent. There was one instance where the ruling was so misguided that it had to be appealed to the District Court Judge for purposes of preserving it for appeal to the Ninth Circuit (the case settled, so it became moot). I suspect that his Clerk has wide authority to decide many of these issues on her own, or with limited oversight, and that may also play a role. Also, his chambers are 'dark' very often. 'Dark' is code for 'unavailable.' There were at least two instances of 'dark' chambers for at least three weeks of time. Maybe there is a good reason, like a medical issue or something unknown to the public, but if there isn't 'good cause' for it, then he's just frankly not doing his job. No one is completely devoid of merit, of course, and I will say that there were instances where Judge McDermott had a good understanding of the issues during hearings, but, again, there were some inconsistencies. He was also punctual for hearings. In short, this is a Judge that is largely inconsistent, poorly tempered, incorrect in many rulings, and often unavailable. Not good.
1/2/18, 9:26 AM
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
18405
rating:
7.3
Has a stern demeanor, but is compassionate. Has a good grasp of legal issues.
1/1/12, 11:28 PM
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