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THE ROBING ROOM
where judges are judged
Hon. Karen L. Stevenson
Magistrate judge
C.D.Cal.
9th Circuit
Average Rating:
9.8
-
4
rating(s)
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Ratings:
What others have rated
Hon. Karen L. Stevenson
evaluator
ID
date
Temp* Sch* Indu* Comp* Punct* Ev-Cv* Ev-Cr* Flex Bail Crim Settle Trial Sent Coop Average
Civil Litigation - Private
32797
9/17/19
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
25250
1/2/18
10
10
10
10
10
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
Civil Litigation - Private
24501
1/2/17
10
0
10
0
10
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
Criminal Defense Lawyer
24210
1/3/17
10
8
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9.3
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
32797
9/17/19
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
25250
1/2/18
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
24501
1/2/17
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
24210
1/3/17
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
category average
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Non-lawyer Rating
(if applicable)
evaluator
ID
date
Rating
Litigant
32436
1/2/19
2
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. Karen L. Stevenson
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
32797
rating:
0
Doesn’t know the law, doesn’t care to know the law. Shoots from the hip in rendering a decision instead of engaging in the proper research. Or allowing herself time to know it. Biased against plaintiffs as she’s spent her entire career doing defense work. It would be nice to have some judges who can be fair to plaintiffs. Yet the constant pedigree of defense background judges continues to pop up over and over and over again. The appointments should balance out.
9/17/19, 6:01 AM
Litigant
comment #:
32436
rating:
0
I'm a pro se litigant. Had her for discovery matters. She is extremely biased against pro se litigants, makes arbitrary and capricious rulings. She has trouble controlling the litigants and often has to raise her voice. If you're a pro se, avoid her if possible.
1/2/19, 6:26 PM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
25250
rating:
10
I had a civil case in which opposing counsel and I stipulated to have Judge Stevenson act as the judge through the entire trial. A week before trial, I was a little nervous, wondering if maybe I shouldn’t have picked a magistrate to handle the entire case. My concerns were assuaged before trial. We had a 2 ½ hour pretrial conference, discussing every conceivable pretrial issue. Judge Stevenson came through in the clutch. She was everything that you want a judge to be. She is smart, knows her facts, knows her law, was very fair, and was not afraid to rule against someone if the law was against them. Also, she wasn’t afraid to rule against someone who was pushing a legal argument that didn’t quite fit. She stuck to her guns, and wasn’t afraid to say “no” when a “no” was required. Best of all, she had no judicial arrogance. She simply rolled up her sleeves and went to work with both attorneys, trying to get all issues resolve before trial. Very, very refreshing. Our case ended up settling on the eve trial, but I would have been 1000% comfortable using her as the trial judge.
1/2/18, 1:39 PM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
24501
rating:
10
Had her for a status conference. She was super friendly, cordial, and nice. I realize it's not a real substantive hearing, but it was nice to have a judge that was friendly.
1/2/17, 9:11 AM
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
24210
rating:
9.3
On a friendly scale, she's very friendly. Very accommodating and helpful. No judicial arrogance. She ruled against me on a motion, but I guess a motion can go either way. By and large, I like her.
1/3/17, 12:48 AM
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