THE ROBING ROOM

I'm a large firm civil litigator, representing primarily corporate defendants. When Judge Martinez was first appointed, I was wary. I thought no way my clients would get a fair shake with an Obama ACLU liberal judge. But things have not turned out that way. I've had 3-4 cases before this judge. In each one he was even-handed, careful and hard-working. I've won more than my share of motions. His written orders reflect considerable thought and analysis, and I've been impressed by how much effort he and his clerks put into some of them. Often on meatier matters I've expected 10-15 page opinions (about par for this court on bigger-ticket disputes), but I've not infrequently gotten 25-30+ page orders - reflecting quite a bit of effort and work. My biggest complaint is that I wish he granted summary judgment more often (something which is usually not too hard to get from his colleagues), but I've resigned myself (and advised my clients) that if he can find a factual dispute we're going to trial unless we settle, which I guess is how it should work. He is courteous and not full of himself like most federal judges, which makes appearing in front of him a pleasant experience. I hope he doesn't get elevated to the Tenth Circuit.