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THE ROBING ROOM
where judges are judged
Hon. J. Spencer Letts
District judge
C.D.Cal.
9th Circuit
Average Rating:
3.9
-
18
rating(s)
rating submitted
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Ratings:
What others have rated
Hon. J. Spencer Letts
evaluator
ID
date
Temp* Sch* Indu* Comp* Punct* Ev-Cv* Ev-Cr* Flex Bail Crim Settle Trial Sent Coop Average
Civil Litigation - Private
23452
1/1/16
2
2
1
3
5
2
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
2.5
Prosecutor
11750
1/2/10
4
2
2
2
4
0
4
3
3
3
0
3
3
4
3
Other
9966
1/2/10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
9725
1/2/10
2
2
1
2
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1.7
Criminal Defense Lawyer
9608
1/2/09
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
9308
1/2/09
8
3
3
0
5
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
4.8
Civil Litigation - Private
9086
1/2/09
1
3
4
3
7
10
0
4
0
0
6
0
1
3
4.7
Criminal Defense Lawyer
7403
1/1/08
3
3
1
2
1
4
0
4
0
0
1
0
0
0
2.3
Other
6122
1/1/08
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
6015
1/1/08
1
1
1
1
3
1
2
2
0
0
5
0
0
0
1.4
Criminal Defense Lawyer
5962
1/2/08
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
1.6
Civil Litigation - Private
5202
1/1/07
2
2
2
2
10
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3.2
Civil Litigation - Private
4679
1/2/07
9
8
8
8
10
10
0
8
0
0
10
0
0
0
8.8
Civil Litigation - Govt.
4557
1/2/07
7
7
6
6
0
9
0
7
0
0
8
0
0
0
7
Prosecutor
3848
1/2/07
3
1
2
1
1
5
3
3
1
1
5
2
2
2
2.3
Criminal Defense Lawyer
1694
1/2/06
9
6
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
category average
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-
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-
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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
23452
1/1/16
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Prosecutor
11750
1/2/10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Other
9966
1/2/10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
9725
1/2/10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
9608
1/2/09
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
9308
1/2/09
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
9086
1/2/09
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
7403
1/1/08
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Other
6122
1/1/08
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
6015
1/1/08
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
5962
1/2/08
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
5202
1/1/07
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Private
4679
1/2/07
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Civil Litigation - Govt.
4557
1/2/07
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Prosecutor
3848
1/2/07
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Criminal Defense Lawyer
1694
1/2/06
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
category average
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Non-lawyer Rating
(if applicable)
evaluator
ID
date
Rating
Other
10009
1/1/10
10
Other
4505
1/2/07
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. J. Spencer Letts
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
23452
rating:
2.5
I agree with the comments that this is a very weak civil judge. He is glib, gives a crazy lecture about risks and his past history at the start of every case, and shows no real willingness to work. He obviously got lucky to get to where he is, but he is just plain bad. He also favors government and big business.
1/1/16, 7:58 PM
Prosecutor
comment #:
11750
rating:
3
Why this man is a Federal Judge is a bad joke. Basic state and federal law comprehension elludes him. Take this case:09-50559 US vs Anderson. The judge dismissed an indictment for felon in possesion of a firearm because he believes a nolo contendere plea in two state cases does NOT amount to a conviction. Basic CA law says; a nolo pleas is punishable as a guilty plea for all purposes. How this judge determined otherwise is vexing and scary. He needs to be removed.
1/2/10, 3:03 AM
Other
comment #:
10009
rating:
0
It took a great deal of courage and compassion for Judge Letts to recognize how unfair the California three strike law was in this case and to recognize a person who could be brought back into society..and then to support that person. In the current atmosphere of hatred in this country, it is predictable that there are lawyers and non-lawyers who believe that there should be nothing but punishment-not redemption in our society.
1/1/10, 8:10 PM
Other
comment #:
9966
rating:
0
Letts has no business sitting on the bench. While he claims to hate the judicial system, he has no problem manipulating it to his own preconceived notions of who deserves more, less or no time served. Too lazy to read character letters and to biased to render fair verdicts. A terrible choice in a broken system.
1/2/10, 11:02 AM
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
9725
rating:
1.7
He is collecting a check - he would rather be golfing - in fact is he is golfing.
1/2/10, 6:29 PM
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
9608
rating:
0
1/2/09, 12:39 AM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
9308
rating:
4.8
At the sentencing of a criminal, Judge Letts went out of his way to talk to the defendant about this being 'the first day of the rest of your life' instead of warning him that if he did more crime and wound up in Lett's courtroom, he would wind up in federal prison. Letts admitted that he never saw the inside of a courtroom before he was appointed to the federal bench.
1/2/09, 2:27 AM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
9086
rating:
4.7
1/2/09, 1:01 PM
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
7403
rating:
2.3
This judge is lazy, and lacks intellectual curiosity - he would rather be golfing. Why is he still a judge?
1/1/08, 12:24 PM
Other
comment #:
6122
rating:
0
I was a criminal defendant in Judge Letts's courtroom. All I have to say is that when this guy is on your side it's a great feeling.
1/1/08, 5:21 PM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
6015
rating:
1.4
He's a disgrace. At the start of each case, he typically gives a speech to all the parties about how he hates the justice system. He bragged to one of our attorneys that he never tried a civil case. He bullies attorneys into settlement. He generally favors defendants, and attorneys from whatever firm he thinks is bigger. He seems to figure that if he goes the way of the bigger firm, he's less likely to be overturned on appeal, and he's clearly insecure. I've been on both sides of his crazy bias, winning and losing, so this isn't sour grapes. Worst judge I think I've ever known, and I've been litigating for 26 years. Whoever reviewed him and likes him must have been in a situation where he bullied a settlement they liked. But it's random, like a coin flip, where the coin is weighted to the large defendant. I typically do defense work, often of large corporations too. He's an embarrassment. His court is a surreal and scary place to be.
1/1/08, 8:08 PM
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
5962
rating:
1.6
This judge thinks out loud all the time, talks to his tie knot, mumbles, and no one knows what he's talking about. A well-meaning dolt. A wealthy legacy guy who made a call and got a seat on the bench.
1/2/08, 7:10 PM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
5202
rating:
3.2
I had one case before Judge Letts. His background as a litigation manager for a large corporation shows through in his desire to (1) force early settlements and (2) to prejudge cases based on his seriously pro-defense experience as a lawyer. He made several basic mistakes in my case, one of which resulted in a dismissal of an appeal and one a reversal, and although professing not to care, I think does care. Certainly in my case he had a clear-cut defense bias, and did what he could to make sure that it happened, even to the point of making one very highly inappropriate remark to me in chambers that in essence, if I didn't play ball in forcing a settlement, he could easily shape the way the evidence went in to help the defense. I was very surprised at this, obviously. He did not seem to have a good grasp of the case and did not seem to be very prepared. His rulings seemingly were written by a law clerk and read from the bench.
1/1/07, 5:10 PM
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
4679
rating:
8.8
Judge Letts is genuinely interested in resolving cases quickly with minimum expense to the parties. His local-local rules on discovery and discovery disputes are refreshing and efficient. I have had four cases before him and all were positive experiences.
1/2/07, 11:35 PM
Other
comment #:
4505
rating:
0
Judge Letts shows no regard to anyone who appears in his courtroom. As a witness, I had to take four days off of work to give simple testimony only to have him stall and delay each day on irrelevant matters. He should realize that other people's lives are affected by his selfishness.
1/2/07, 4:08 AM
Civil Litigation - Govt.
comment #:
4557
rating:
7
Judge Letts does seem to try hard. He is clearly very bright. On the other hand, it is very hard to follow his logic. He starts a sentence in explaining his position, and by the end of the sentence, he has changed his position two or three times. He also is hard to hear. And finally, he is known for making inappropriate remarks--e.g., to women and minorities.
1/2/07, 11:55 AM
Prosecutor
comment #:
3848
rating:
2.3
1/2/07, 9:36 AM
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
1694
rating:
8
I am in private practice and I have had two cases with Judge Letts. Both experiences were quite positive. Judge Letts would hardly qualify as a criminal law scholar -- yet he listens and he tries to do the right thing.
1/2/06, 10:56 AM
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