THE ROBING ROOM

Is the most arrogant judge in the NDIL, and that's saying a lot considering the competition. It's one thing to be smarter than everyone else and arrogant, but it's an entirely different story when you are the dumbest person in the room but truly believe you are the smartest. Judge Kendall is the latter. Worse yet, she likes to brag about how she 'tries cases' and litigates quickly. What that translates for the lawyers who really do all the work is that she moans and groans about 'how long it takes' and grunts when you ask for reasonable extensions (she wouldn't know they are reasonable because she was never in private practice and has never handled a civil case as a practicing lawyer), triggering her canned response 'we litigate fast in my courtroom.' What that really means is that she imposes tight deadlines, forces you to do a lot of work, and once you file motions . . . SHE sits on them for a VERY long time. I had a summary judgment motion where she didn't enter a ruling for nearly 1 year and then expected us to go to trial in less than a month once she ruled. That is, of course, until the only time lead counsel would be available (they had other trials before judges who promptly ruled on dispositive motions) was three months later and she acquiesced to their dates. Bush II appointed her to the bench and rumor is that the only reason she got the gig is because nobody else applied. I never used to believe that story, but now I do.