"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

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Only items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating.

General Rating Criteria

* Temperament		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness		(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality		(1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Donna Groman

Comments

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA241
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Donna Groman has one of the worse judicial temperaments that I have ever experienced. She is a bully. She is rude, abusive and disrespectful to lawyers appearing before her. She is petty and vindictive, and she collects transcripts to be used against lawyers. She makes threats to report counsel to the bar and schedules frivolous contempt proceedings that ultimately have to be withdrawn. Judge Groman has been heard telling a lawyer to "stop moving your lips," and she has, more than once, stormed off the bench when lawyers dared to insist on preserving the record and the rights of their clients. Casual visitors to her court have witnessed her being unduly abusive and disparaging to a particular lawyer, with the ultimate result being an interference in the attorney-client relationship, while at the same time being almost cloyingly cooperative with other lawyers. She has a chilling effect on courtroom staff. She has tried to enlist the aid of the bailiffs to coerce counsels' appearances. She pages lawyers incessantly - interfering at times with their ability to conduct interviews, consult authority, or otherwise prepare cases to be heard. Which brings us to the following: while she may have had experience in the Dependency Court, her attitudes and behavior show a lack of true understanding and/or appreciation of the roles of both the defense and the prosecution. It is almost as if she would prefer that she just be given a stack of cases in the morning and left alone to make her decisions without the input of counsel.