The Robing Room

Hon. Lewis A. Kaplan	See Rating Details
District Judge	See Comments
S.D.N.Y.
Average Rating:4.2 - 36 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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*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. Lewis A. Kaplan

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 35554
Rating:2.1

Comments:
Remarkably bad and evil judge famous for bias and disregard of the law. Has turned Foley Square once home of our greatest judges into a notorious banana republic judicial system destroying people business and respect for the law. Tears for you once great SDNY once home of greatest courts now held in universal contempt

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35547
Rating:1.4

Comments:
Terrible. Another Paul Weiss partner helping his group. But this Circuit never takes action against bad judges hence they are lawless & unaccountable like Mr. Kaplan.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35459
Rating:1.0

Comments:
1/31/2024 6:07:36 PM

Hi Lew!

ha ha great intellect indeed. He’s a Paul Weiss stooge adding to the long list. Not even the sense to disclose clear dishonest conflicts like with “Roberta Kaplan”. He has dragged the SDNY to be even more a house of ill repute previously thought to be the bottom of the barrel.
Avoid this gonaf.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35457
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
In defense of Judge Kaplan, a first for this criminal defense attorney, he cannot be said to lower any court. He is a giant intellect, dispensing justice as constitutionallty mandated. Haters gonna hate.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35455
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Terrible. Another Paul Weiss judge in SDNY. Lowering SDNY to a kangaroo court.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 34412
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I am a Canadian citizen. But if Hon. Lewis Kaplan is the judge for the Prince Andrew case, I believe Andrew should be tried and convicted for the Virginia sex abuse law suit. He was clearly a part of Epstein and Maxwell’s sex ring. Just because he is a member of the royal family should not allow him to get away with his being a part of this.

Other

Comment #: 34300
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I’ve spent some time reading about the Ecuadorian environmental pollution case against Texaco/Chevron. Of particular interest is Judge Kaplan‘s prosecution of the lawyer who won the case in Ecuador, Donzinger. The judge’s rating at 4.9 Includes a number of (1)s on a scale of 10 is bolstered by several high private ratings that all seem to be written on the same script starting with “the judge is very smart” this seems strange.

Other

Comment #: 34213
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge is the worst judge ever in history. He is a racist and prejudice to the defense and pro government. I don’t know how he still on the bench. He automatically finds you guilty if the government says your guilty. Prejudice racist

Other

Comment #: 33590
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Kaplan's release of the terrorist Adel Abdul Bary is an egregious, indefensible action that should be decried by all Americans. Of course, it is just another in a long line of shocking decisions that he has made over the years. He should have been removed decades ago. Why has that not been done?!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 33411
Rating:2.5

Comments:
Smart. Mean. Dangerous.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33343
Rating:3.0

Comments:
Lewis A. Kaplan really should never have been allowed on the bench. He is a passionate advocate for whoever strikes his fancy.

Unfortunately he is intelligent enough to make his wrong-headed decisions resistant to review. As a white collar or even a violent offender he is a good judge to have drawn.

Other

Comment #: 33278
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Kaplan's behavior in the Chevron case is "beyond the pale," outrageous.

Other

Comment #: 32990
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
suspect getting kickback from Chevron...Donziger said he’d turn over the devices if he lost the appeal. But even though the underlying case was civil, the federal court judge who has presided over the litigation between Chevron and Donziger since 2011, Lewis A. Kaplan, drafted criminal contempt charges against him.

In another legal peculiarity, in July, Kaplan appointed a private law firm to prosecute Donziger, after the Southern District of New York declined to do so — a move that is virtually unprecedented. And, as Donziger’s lawyer has pointed out, the firm Kaplan chose, Seward & Kissel, likely has ties to Chevron.

Making the case even more extraordinary, Kaplan bypassed the standard random assignment process and handpicked someone he knew well, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska, to oversee the case being prosecuted by the firm he chose. It was Preska who sentenced Donziger to home detention and ordered the seizure of his passport, even though Donziger had appeared in court on hundreds of previous occasions.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32982
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Shallow and vindictive.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 23522
Rating:1.0

Comments:
He is the worst of the worst. Makes up his mind irrespective of the law; has no apparent understanding of the criminal defense function -- at least when the defendant is not a wealth white businessman; is nasty and condescending; all in all, a horror show

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23355
Rating:2.6

Comments:
Takes sides immediately based on something he may read in one of the parties papers. Uninterested in veracity of the statement. Does not bother to research most legal theories and fails to appreciate that his role is the arbiter of the law. Focused on disposal of cases, not equity.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 19402
Rating:1.7

Comments:
One of the worst judges I have come across in several decades of practice. Arrogant without basis. Unnecessarily rude and caustic. Cannot distinguish meaningful distinctions from inconsequential ones. Basically gets the law right but the outcome wrong most of the time, and when he gets it right, it's by sheer accident. Avoid if possible!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 13181
Rating:6.8

Comments:
Judge Kaplan exemplifies the bi-polar judge who is extremely smart and totally biased. He treats lawyers, particularly defense criminal attorneys, with contempt and his rulings cast him in the role of the "prosecutor in robes" who always gets the last word and never loses an argument. Could have been an Academy Award nominee had he played that crotchety old professor in the Paper Chase movie.

Other

Comment #: 12858
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Kaplan doesn't take the time to understand the basics of the subject matter on which he's ruling. He simply imposes a legal theory that doesn't fit the facts, circumstances, or even the law, and ignores everything that doesn't fit his legal theory, so that facts, circumstances, and the law are eschewed. Judge Kaplan tends to parrot the motions of attorneys that have adopted the same inapposite legal theories that he holds near and dear to his heart. Well pled arguments strongly supported by the facts, the circumstances, and the law simply irritate Judge Kaplan.

Other

Comment #: 12793
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Kaplan seems to be working for big business interests, so if you are representing big business interests, Judge Kaplan will find a way to rule in your favor. If you going up against big business interests, you are out of luck. "Impartiality" is a wholly alien concept fo Judge Kaplan.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 12566
Rating:9.5

Comments:
Very smart. Very fair. Very decisive. Doesn't vacillate. However, can be impatient. Also a little too quick to make up his mind at the outset, and then not receptive to change his mind.

Other

Comment #: 11764
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge is an idiot. Typical dangerous liberal. He now proves what everyone should have known about how dangerous liberals are. He thinks murder is ok, but damaging property is not. I bet he thinks McVeigh being executed was the proper verdict. After all he was white and an American citizen. The clown shows why it is so dangerous to elect liberals. Their policies might be overturned eventually. But the damage they cause by putting people like this in a position of power might be unfixable.

Other

Comment #: 11753
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge is not beholden to any government. He is not beholden to any core values. He is proud of a failed jury and their feeble verdict of Ahmed Ghailani as he pats them on the back. This judge and Ghailani laugh at a dozen dead Americans that this terrorist worked so vigorously to kill. A shameful victory for terrorism in America nurtured by Lewis A. Kaplan

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 10293
Rating:8.2

Comments:
Smarter than almost all lawyers who appear before him - and thinks he is even smarter. Writes extremely thoughtful and well-researched decisions. Not afraid at all to utilize unorthodox procedures or think outside the box. Do not count on receiving extensions that might be routine before other judges.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 9723
Rating:2.5

Comments:
I am a attorney for over 40 years, this judge is the worst-I really believe he is part of what use to be referred to as "THE OLD BOY NETWORK" BEWARE IF YOU ARE THE UNCONNECTED.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 9022
Rating:3.8

Comments:
heavy superiority complex, height of arrogance - thinks he's part of Plato's Republic, ordained divinely to impart justice to us lowly beings. If he gets his head against you, he'll screw you - and he's so bright you have a difficult time getting out of that.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 8503
Rating:2.3

Comments:
Very abrasive, impatient, and shoots from the hip.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 7460
Rating:9.7

Comments:
It is an honor to appear before Judge Kaplan -- come prepared.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 4403
Rating:6.7

Comments:
A smart no nonsense judge that cuts through the attorneys hyperbole, yet shows compassion at Sentencing

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 1081
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Very smart, works very hard and both are reflected in his decisions.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 1069
Rating:6.7

Comments:
Extraordinarily bright and a master of the law but sense of superiority clouds reasonable common-sense judgment. Is quite harsh on most attorneys.

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What others have said about Hon. Lewis A. Kaplan

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Civil Litigation - Private

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