Hon. Harold A. Baker See Rating Details
District Judge See Comments
C.D.Ill.  
Average Rating:7.3 - 4 rating(s)
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Ratings

*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=Chronic`y Late,10=Always on Time)
*Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation:    (1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
*Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation:   (1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Flexibility In Scheduling   (1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)
General Inclination Regarding Bail (1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Pre-Trial:   (1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions:   (1=Least Involved,10=Most Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Trial:    (1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Sentencing:    (1=Most Lenient,10=Most Harsh)
Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators:    (1=10%,10=100%)
  Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating
Comments


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What others have said about Hon. Harold A. Baker


Comments


Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 20783
Rating:7.2
Comments:
I had a case before Judge Baker in which the University of Illinois was a plaintiff. He is an undergraduate and law school alumnus of the University of Illinois, and at the time of the case he was also a contributing member of the U of I Alumni Association and an adjunct instructor at the U of I Law School, yet he did not recuse himself. He is well-trained to avoid reversals and thus rarely rules on objections during examination of witnesses, preferring the inscrutable response "ask another question."

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4466
Rating:9.3
Comments:
Judge Baker is probably the most knowledgeable federal judge sitting on a District Court in Illinois. He can be tough on attorneys but is, without question, fair.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 2979
Rating:2.7
Comments:
Technically an OK judge, but in the two week trial I had before him several years ago he was unfair and biased beyond words. Unfortunately, I have never, to this day, figured out what drove his partiality in the case. Absolutely atrocious behavior for a judge. Even the courtroom personnel saw it and apologized to our team in private conversations. Having clerked for another Carter appointee who is the most meticulously fair judge imaginable, Judge Baker left me scratching my head what Carter was thinking when he appointed him.