THE ROBING ROOM

Solid judge - - smart and tireless. Recent experience suggests, however, that he is simply way too chummy with the regulars in his court. This didn't necessarily sway the outcome (not favorable to my client) but the regulars certainly got far more deference than they deserved and that was disappointing. If you are not part of the club, you'll be cut no breaks and for sure you'll be left out of the inside jokes, war stories and secret handshakes as if you weren't even standing there. No beef with the result but the process itself was disappointing. I have seen most other federal judges here and elsewhere do a much better job of maintaining at least the appearance of a level playing field even when their pals were appearing before them.