Hon. Ronald A. Guzman See Rating Details
District Judge See Comments
N.D.Ill.  
Average Rating:3.5 - 21 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. Ronald A. Guzman


Comments


Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35471
Rating:1.0
Comments:
No ability to work hard and address complex legal issues with scholarship and fairness

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33357
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This lawsuit has been going on for over 10 years. The Judge doesn't do anything to find closure, instead bends to the will of the criminals who are holding our money for timeshares.

There is sufficient money to pay and close this case, if Guzman will get off his hind end and do the job he was appointed to do. Next step would be to contact the DOJ and Congress for a removal. People have been severely fincially hurt by this delay, and some have even died while waiting a decision.
The DOJ needs to investigate why this Judge has done what he has done.
All that comes to mind is a typical crooked Chicago judge, from the 20's and 30's.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22321
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Why isn't zero an option on these ratings? Agree with all of the other commenters below. Hates attorneys. Gives unreasonable discovery deadlines, then blasts you when they aren't met, as if they were your idea in the first place. I wish he'd find something else to do that he likes, because it's pretty obvious he doesn't like this.

Litigant

Comment #: 22014
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Does not listen to prose litigant. Does not follow court rule. Rush case.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 18948
Rating:9.7
Comments:
fair minded man not easy to pull the wool over his eyes

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 18193
Rating:1.6
Comments:
This excuse for a federal district judge should find a job he likes. He's lazy and pushes off responsibility. I just had him reversed in an attorney fee case where the court of appeals stated he both abused his discretion and came to an unreasonable result. His temperament and disdain for lawyers is a disgrace to the bench. I agree with another critic: he was a terrible magistrate and now he is a worse district judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 17989
Rating:2.8
Comments:
Completely inflexible in scheduling, will rush discovery to conclusion regardless of the complexity of the case or wishes of the parties. In my case, repeatedly appeared for oral argument on motions without ever having read the papers, and never issued a written opinion on anything. Combine that with a very disagreeable temperament and the fact that he clearly hates his job, and you have the makings of a very unpleasant experience. Should do himself and the bar a favor and find something else to do.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 12961
Rating:1.8
Comments:
Judge Guzman seemingly has no grasp on how to handle a civil matter. He fails to listen to the parties. Most troubling, he is extremely lazy and will not rule on motions. He does not place the same rules on himself as he does the litigants. One has to wonder why he is on the bench given his obvious dislike for attorneys as well as doing what he is required to do as a judge.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 12599
Rating:4.3
Comments:
He looks ornery and would crack a smile if he say a bare ads run down the hallway.

He seems that he don't derive any pleasure or joy from his work. Make me feel sorry for him and those that wind up before him.

He seems to ove to do anything to get rid of a case and the associated work, push it to a magistrate for settlement rather than make any effor himself, grant dismissals, summary judgments, etc. His favorite are nonsuits - less work achieved quickly.

At times he shows flickers of wisdom. Certainly not the best draw, but considering the rest, one could do worse.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 12323
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This guy is truly the pits. Just the other day I saw him incinerate a lawyer for requesting a ruling on a motion to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. Apparently the pro se plaintiff was trying to collaterally attack a state court foreclosure judgment. This is a "no-brainer" motion, but apparenly, to Judge Guzman, that means that if having no brain means you get no ruling. He ordered the parties to proceed with discovery and slammed counsel for filing a "reflexive" motion to dismiss and told counsel that his time would be better spent lobbying Congress to help get more judges and law clerks appointed so that he would not be so over-worked. What a nightmare.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 12176
Rating:1.0
Comments:
He is a complete and utter disgrace to the bench. He laments about all the hard work he must do and how Congress does not give him enough staff or other judges to assist him. Apparently the void between his ears is incapable of recognizing that if the motions are truly as bad or frivilous as he speciously claims, then can simply rule from the bench and keep things moving. He is as lazy and short-tempered as he is useless. His saving grace is that he does not play favorites because he hates everyone the same because they all bring more work for him to do.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 11748
Rating:9.3
Comments:
Judge Guzman is very fair and concerned about giving both sides a fair chance. He sees through the BS of lawyers who try to avoid complying with discovery by engaging in delay tactics. He gets right to the heart of the matter and quickly understands the issues. He genuinely seems concerned about justice, which is really what being a judge is about. We're not in court to make friends. Just be sure to stay on top of your deadlines because he doesn't like extensions.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 11742
Rating:2.0
Comments:
Completely unreasonable.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 10644
Rating:9.2
Comments:
Judge Guzman is exactly what you look for in a good judge -- he''s fair, he''s thorough, he''s smart, and he doesn''t tolerate incompetence or lack of preparation.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 10141
Rating:2.0
Comments:
He's got to look for a job he really likes. He's almost always late, is lazy, unreasonable, procrastinates and doesn't care. He makes short-shrift of cases and looks for the easy way out--not very analytical. Has a very unlikeable and unpleasant attitude in court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6769
Rating:4.8
Comments:
Agree with other comments. Judge Guzman is unlikeable and doesn't always seem to catch on quickly.

If you hate lawyers, why be a judge?

Other

Comment #: 4833
Rating:9.0
Comments:
Appears fair and unbiased. Seems motivated in achieving the right result. Not afraid of taking case to trial

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2921
Rating:1.5
Comments:
Not very bright, helpful, fair or friendly. Chosen for the district court for all the bad reasons.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2891
Rating:3.5
Comments:
Horrible temperment, not a skillful judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 2646
Rating:4.3
Comments:
This man was a terrible magistrate and a worse judge. I rank him slightly above Der-Yeghiayan, becuase Der-Yeghiayan seems off on some other planet, at least Guzman will follow clear law. Guzman seems to have temperment of Coar, without the intelligence of Cour.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 2241
Rating:4.0
Comments:
Judge Guzman is perpetually late to court and always in a grumpy mood. That said, he doesn't seem to have any noticeable bias towards either side, because he equally despises them both.