THE ROBING ROOM

Pro government and pro institution, not so much pro no-name litigants. If you're up against a large corporation or the government, you will have a tough mountain to climb. He requires you to set hearings rather than submit on motion papers, requires blue backing when most of the courts in CA have dispensed with it; requires chambers copies the very next day despite e-filing; and cancels hearings at the last minute when he knows you've got a distance to go -- then takes papers on submission anyway. On the other hand, is very strict on plaintiffs when it comes to personal jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction. If an institutional party or a governmental party gets caught lying or misleading in the case, that's the death knell with him. He can be scholarly but generally expect to dot your I's and cross your T's with him. He is courteous and appears even-handed. Seems he is happy where he is. There is no hint of any liberal or judicial activism in his rulings generally but there is sometimes an agenda flowing in an undercurrent. He is more conservative than most judges in CA so you know where most of his rulings are headed.