THE ROBING ROOM

Judge Martinez is sarcastic and highly critical of the lawyers who appear in front of him. Most often it’s about a nuance he fails to perceive or can’t perceive as he doesn’t know all the facts. This sarcasm creates problems between counsel and their clients and in one case I am aware of led to a long trial because the court was so critical of highly respected defense counsel that the defendant rejected a favorable plea agreement and proceeded to trial. Judge Martinez exacts a hefty trial tax in criminal cases as he doesn’t want anyone to exercise their sixth amendment right to jury trial. For a judge coming from a civil background he really should endeavor to understand rather than critique criminal practice. For example, He does not understand that criminal defense lawyers often file motions or seek bail in order to engender client trust.