Hon. Donald E. O Brien See Rating Details
District Judge See Comments
N.D.Iowa  
Average Rating:6.0 - 11 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. Donald E. O Brien


Comments


Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 12523
Rating:9.0
Comments:
An excellent judge who is a credit to the legal system. Very fair and thorough. We need more like him.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 11959
Rating:9.0
Comments:
An excellent judge. Highly knowledgeable and very fair. Iowa needs more like him.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 8710
Rating:6.0
Comments:
Probably leans towards a criminal defendant and civil plaintiff, but seems to really try to be fair and is very concerned about being so. Can take a while on rulings.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5938
Rating:4.8
Comments:
This judge's law clerks need to slip him some NoDoze. Extremely slow and indecisive but also very, very fair. He doesn't put up with the nonsense the AUSAs tend to spout in court. Always tries to do the right thing.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5116
Rating:6.3
Comments:
He has a huge heart.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5032
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Hard working and very kind. Not the sharpest pencil in the box, but he is very, very fair. Quite slow on rulings.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 3135
Rating:4.0
Comments:
Very slow in getting opinions out. Very difficult to get summary judgment granted even when it is obvious it should be - seems to have the philosophy that by denying S.J. the defendant willpay something.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2805
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Be sure and give him some Nodoze before trial or a long hearing. Has a heart the size of China and never let's brutal circuit law get in the way of justice. This is a judge who sleeps well at night knowing he has dispensed great justice. The heartless circuit judges could learn a lot from him.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 2560
Rating:8.6
Comments:
This judge is very even-tempered and courteous; has appearance of curmudgeon, but is extremely fair with litigators. Main criticism is punctuality of opinions, particularly summary judgment opinions. It's always wise to prepare for trial when he's sitting on a summary judgment ruling. However, going back to temperament, he's the polar opposite of his successor, who is self-centered and prone to throw things at attorneys or scream nonsensically at the slightest provocation. This judge wants every one to have their day in court. He does not use -- as his successor does -- summary judgment as docket control.