Hon. Marie S. Weiner (San Mateo) I've found Judge Weiner to be a fair jurist. She doesn’t like the court's time to be wasted. She is patient with a variety of idiosyncratic attorneys, both plaintiff's and defendant's. Remember, she has likely known, either as an attorney or presided over as a judge, most attorneys in her county with six digit bar numbers who were admitted only when she became a judge in the middle of the 100,000 -199,999 allotted numbers. She is still as young as or younger than many lawyers in that county. She is most knowledgeable and doesn’t take sides. Administering the law well in San Mateo County is her only agenda. If you go for an ex parte order, you'll rarely see her in person. The end result may appear unusual or odd (such as a backhanded granting of an application, which never seems to be her manner as she's very direct in person to counsel). Ask whoever gave you her decision or order, as politely as possible, "Did the judge type this order herself, or did she draft an order which someone else processed?"

Hon. William J. Murray, Jr. (San Joaquin) Presiding Judge William Murray stepped over the line when he not only endorsed one of the candidates running in the November 2008 election, he wrote a letter to the editor of The Stockton Record that is posted on Scott Smith’s Blog (posted October 9th www.recordnet.com). The reporter described the letter as follows: “Read this four-page letter we received from Presiding Judge William Murray endorsing James Morris for judge in the upcoming election. It bleeds. What’s jaw-dropping is how Murray cuts to pieces Deputy DA Phil Urie, Morris' opponent. I could try to sum it up, but I don't think I could do it justice. Read it for yourself.” And, by the way, Judge Murray’s preferred candidate lost the election.

Hon. Joseph R. Distaso (Stanislaus) I have witnessed this man's behavior in court and it is rude and inconsiderate and totally objectionable. A prior judge had ordered a hearing in a domestic case and cancelled the hearing because the judge called the woman a "scorned woman." What kind of man says that to a woman in court? This individual should be turned over to the commission on judicial performance and his judgeship revoked. He is a terrible excuse for a judge. He should be ashamed of himself and deserves to be removed from the bench for his antics and rude behavior.

Hon. David P. Yaffe (Los Angeles) Likes to yell at counsel when he is trying to hear arguments. It's kind of hard to get him to focus when he decides to start yelling. It's hard to get him to stop repeating errors of fact when he's in yelling mode too. He's kind of smug. He's not a bad judge but he's a terrible listener and just processes writs, TROs and PIs all day long. Maybe you'll get his attention; maybe you won't. Try to cut down on poor brief writing, bad case cites, and long shot legal arguments - you'll only annoy him and he'll start yelling again.

Hon. Ronald M. Sohigian (Los Angeles) Despite hearing a lot of negative things about Judge Sohigian, I think he is one of the very best judges in Central. He is smart, and totally diligent. He not only reads, he understands and gets into the smallest details of the cases. I think he really cares about the law, and he doesn't have an axe to grind on either side. Just be prepared, as all lawyers should be, and you will love him if the law is on your side. He's an intellectual judge and responds to intellectual arguments.

Hon. Robert J. Perry (Los Angeles) Though once a knee-jerk zealot as an AUSA, Bob Perry has become an excellent down-the-middle judge. He is thoughtful and actually reads stuff that is cited to him. He can be a tad intemperate with both sides if they are late or unprepared, but otherwise he is absolutely first-rate.

Hon. Julie A. McManus (Nevada) I like this judge. She, after repeated D.A. failures to provide discovery, set a sanctions hearing. In an alleged 20+ lb. medical marijuana case, she sentenced the defendant to 60 days (could be monitoring, work furlough, etc.). Of course this was also within the D.A. agreement, but it could have been more time.

Hon. Barbara Ann Zúñiga (Contra Costa) A truly awful judge. Rude, plays favorites, and will intentionally violate the law in her rulings. Not particularly smart, but stubborn. Won't change her mind even if she is proven wrong. Can't imagine that she'd be any better in criminal cases.

Hon. Aaron Persky (Santa Clara) Very bright, careful, considerate judge. Does his own independent research and seems to treat parties very fairly. Good temperament and nice courtroom demeanor. Treats counsel with respect. Impressive judge. This judge should be cloned!