- Quickdraw McLaw
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A few years ago, some commenters were discussing the fact that some judges are off the bench quite a bit more than you might expect. Now, it’s become a yearly tradition for us to discuss this topic each December. So, are the judges generally spending enough time in the courtroom this year? Which judges should be spending a little more time on the bench? Is there a minimum standard? Which judges would you commend for making the best use of your time? Which judges are always late and don’t respect your time? Any specific examples we should be aware of with next year being an election year?
With court room sharing and the heavy use of Pro Tems, it is sometimes hard to tell. My general impression is that by 3 PM almost everyone has left the building.
With the coming election cycle, judicial absence will be epidemic.
Another reason why it's completely silly for the legislature to have realigned all judicial elections for the same 6-year cycle.
The Legislature worked a deal with the Supreme Court to protect incumbents. Nothing in Nevada is as it seems. There is always a reason for it. Not necessarily a reason that is apparent to everyone.
I will avail myself of this annual opportunity to note that the pervasive lateness of Judge Susan H. Johnson is still an issue after, lo, these many years.
Don't know about Judge Susan Johnson being late. I have found her very prepared when appearing before her. She reads all the pleadings. She had a lot of civil experience before she got on the bench. She was one of the better arbitrators.
No, I am not Susan Johnson. Just think she is a decent hardworking judge.
I have only appeared before here three or four times, for one case. She has always been prepared and has made smart rulings once she showed up, which has been late every single time.
I see Judge Johnson slammed on here a lot and I personally love her. She's solid, smart, confident, decisive and professional. I don't recall her ever being late.
Betsey Gonzalez leaves early every day with her bailiff walking her to her car. The news should look into this. They get paid 200k plus a year, plus retirement with benefits and 90 percent of them on work 4 hours a day.
9:49 – Have you ever appeared in front of Gonzalez? I don't know or care when she leaves the building but there can be little doubt she is one of the most hard working jurists in this state. Whether you love or hate her decisions, she is exceedingly well prepared for even the most complex multi party cases – of which she has many. And no, this is not Betsey.
Yes, I have. She is not well prepared, and she is nasty .
BTW, who is running for Judge. Who has stated their intentions to run for open seats or against an incumbent.
When I am sitting in court waiting for a judge to take the bench, is the judge in chambers dealing with ex parte applications, counsel conferences, late filed Opposition or Reply papers, consultations with other judges or clerical staff…? I cannot assume that the judge is simply late getting to the courthouse and is not hard at work with last-minute judicial stuff.
And I am an attorney, not a judge (at least, other than as a pro tem).
The idea that judges aren't working unless they are on the bench is ludicrous. Perhaps they are reading your pleadings or motion practice, doing research, consulting with law clerks, etc. Or maybe they are reviewing a proposed decision or drafting their own.
The way I see it, most of the people on here bitching are mad because they are not successful in court and don't understand why that is. And rather than point the finger at themselves, and doing some soul searching, they find it easier to lash out at the judges making the decisions.
I work for the judiciary and can confirm that judges are more often than not working on judicial activities (such as reviewing files, preparing Decisions etc) when not sitting on the bench. It is an absolute absurdity to surmise that time off the bench equates to a judge not working.
4:02, thank you, Justice. No one is taking the bait.
There are no judges down at the court house in the afternoon unless they have trial, which is rare. Judged are not allowed to remove files from the court house. RJC judges and Justice Court judges do not prepared their own decisions except in a blue moon. Most of the time the judges do not even read the pleadings. Outside research, thank yoh for the laugh.
As a law clerk I would load files in to the back of the Judge’s car every night. In the morning I would unload them.
According tothe court, the files are Nottingham leave the building. One law clerk waz fired for removing them.
Not to leave. Was
Not sure what files a judge would be able to remove from the building in modern times. In the mid-2000's all of the paper files were digitized with the paper (except original trial exhibits) being destroyed. The judicial staff now uses digital copies on their computer monitors (or printed out copies). All new documents are filed in electronic format (E-File).
Most judges have access to the electronic documents if they choose to work from home via VPN access, but few actually use that capability (most probably lack the knowledge to be able to accomplish it).
I'm 8:25AM. This was before e-filing. They were the original files that came up in buckets from the file room. It was a pretty common practice. My judge was definitely not the only one doing it.
Is Lawyers of Distinction credible or does everyone get nominated?
I love the judges' logic on here. There is something wrong with the attorney, because you are criticizing me for being late to court. No, I have eyes and a brain, and know when you are crappy. But thanks for trying to make it seem like we are the ones with the problem.
I agree with the sentiment when dealing with chronic tardiness of arrival to opening of the session (running late when in session is a different problem with multiple causes). An occasional tardiness is a completely different issue and more often than not the result of the judge dealing with court related business (late pleadings, administrative functions, etc.)
Where I have an issue with attorney complaints is when the complaint focuses on the decision rendered. The mere fact the judge ruled against your position does not automatically equal the judge being wrong. The fact that your opposing counsel was able to cite and argue law and facts pointing to a different conclusion (assuming a good faith basis) indicates more than one possible outcome. If the judge has a long track record of writs being issued or reversals on appeal than I would agree there is a problem with their abilities (ignoring the appellate court creating or modifying law). The absence of a challenge to the ruling by writ or appeal is at a minimum an implicit concession that the ruling was within the ballpark of possible outcomes, even if not the desired one.
Yes, attorneys are not capable of evaluating on how good a judge is. Only the appellate courts are. Yeah, not so much.
Writs are granted what percentage of the time? 5-10 percent, maybe? The standard is "extraordinary?" Please correct me if I am wrong.
Some food for thought: Is the idea of a 9 to 5 workday outdated? I am not a judge, but, the premise that the only work accomplished is done in court or at the courthouse may be oversimplifying what goes into preparing for and making decisions in cases. I’m not camped-out monitoring the judges’ parking lot, but I do see judges leaving late in the evening. So perhaps they may work very late some days and not so late others. If a professional gets their job done effectively, it is counterproductive to micromanage their schedule. That is a fundamental premise of running a successful business in a contemporary workplace.
Agreed. If I am not meeting with Clients or attending court, who gives a shit if I get my work done at midnight in my pjs (or over the weekend, or whenever) instead of sitting at a desk in the office? Nobody. Also, if that is how I choose to operate, I shouldn't have to sit in the office for no reason (as my work is already done) from 9-5. That's fair.
Fine, except for Boomers, many of whom are convinced work can only happen at the office.
I am not a boomer, and I am not cool with judges leaving the court house at noon. I pay their salary. Judges are not doing work at home once they leave. The externs and law clerks do all the work down at the RJC.
"I pay their salary." Jesus, Karen.
I concur, 12:46.