THE ROBING ROOM

Magistrate Wells was a hard-nosed, tough as nails criminal defense lawyer for most of her career and her sour temperament has carried over to her appointment as a magistrate. She acts as if she is the proverbial gift to the criminal bench! She has one of the worst judicial temperaments and just plain ornery and cantankerous demeanors that I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing. I appeared pro bono publico for a former client in a criminal matter until he could arrange for a defense lawyer. The defendant was disabled, partially blind and walked very haltingly because of surgery and cancer treatments. Magistrate Wells was impatient, rude and became exasperated that I was trying to help an obviously sick, weak and bewildered defendant. I was surprised how quickly she became exasperated and impatient at the very early and preliminary stages of a criminal proceeding. I would avoid Magistrate Wells at all practical costs. She was an effective criminal defense attorney but everything that made her a competent defense attorney makes her a very bad magistrate judge. I know of no other magistrate, federal or state judge who almost literally looks down her nose at criminal defendants and lacks common courtesy for citizens of the United States who appear before her. It as if she finally has the chance to punish the former clients/defendants whom she previously represented. It is bewildering that she hold defendants and their counsel in such low esteem when she is a former public defender. She obviously has no experience in any civil litigation cases and reportedly has the same bully temperament and shortcomings in civil litigation cases. The Utah magistrates are a far cry from the Federal District Court judges. Any litigant is far better off dealing with 'real' Article III judges who have temperaments and experience better suited for cases in Federal Court.