The Robing Room

Hon. John G. Koeltl	See Rating Details
District Judge	See Comments
S.D.N.Y.
Average Rating:6.5 - 26 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. John G. Koeltl

Comments

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35490
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
win or lose you must admire the dignity and patience with which he presides over cases. everyone is treated fairly and with respect, an article 3 judge in the finest.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35243
Rating:1.0

Comments:
sides with big money. the little guy has chance in his court room. caesar would embrace him

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 35221
Rating:1.2

Comments:
has no understanding of retaliation in a civil employment law case. sides with big business. the little guy is hung out to dry by him

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 35206
Rating:4.1

Comments:
I was a law enforcement defendant before Judge Koeltl in a case where a criminal defendant was wanted for a serious felony pursuant to a NYPD warrant. Unfortunately, the NY State Division of Criminal Justice mixed up two defendants SBI number our suspect shared SBI numbers with another perp. I was always taught that such thing was impossible, but it happened. We arrested the suspect and two days later, on our own, discovered that the NY State DCJ errored. We got our suspect released and we contacted NYSDCJ to fix their mistake. Subsequently, our prisoner sued us rather than suing the NYS DCJ who made the error. Koeltl showed a palpable hostility toward all Police officers involved and ruled against us at every turn. But he was terrified of being reversed so when he came to summarizing the not guilty findings of the jury and still chose to give the defendant $10,000 dollars, he reversed himself in writing because he was so terrified of being reversed on a Rule 50 motion. [Redacted by Ed.] I have no respect for him.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32542
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Bright,fair and patient. I could not ask for more in a Judge. Makes the rest of the judges in the Southern District look like humps, which in fact a lot of them are.

Litigant

Comment #: 25351
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Fuck you, fuck you. Your a piece of shit and I hope you die a slow death motherfucker. You left me with nothing and poor I will see you in Hell motherfucker. You and Sweden!!!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 25333
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Fair, thorough, careful. Easy to work with as a lawyer. Somewhat pedantic and tends to find issues where none exist, creating extra work for lawyers and their clients. But all-in-all, a smart, evenhanded judge who is pleasant, thoughtful and evenhanded.

Litigant

Comment #: 24018
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Judge Koeltl takes his adjudicative and administrative responsibilities very seriously. He reviews each and every submission with serious dedication and a high degree thoroughness. He's smart, hardworking, and very-very fair. As a criticism, he can be slow to determine matters under submission.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22361
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Koeltl is so convinced of his own intellectual superiority that, when it suits him, he is willing to ignore the law, facts, and equities in order to arrive at his own pre-determined and patently wrong conclusion. His handling of a civil rights matter was atrocious in every respect. Although plaintiffs had righteous and plausible claims, this man made clear his extreme and inexplicable hostility to plaintiffs and their claims from day one. His bias in favor of defendants was extreme and self-evident, as he barred discovery and then dismissed the complaint based exclusively on nonsensical and counter-intuitive theories and arguments that defendants themselves--for good reason-- deliberately chose not to make. His so-called "intellectual superiority" also turned out to be a crock, as his decision made a mess out of the proper legal standard to be applied, so much so that it was virtually incomprehensible. This judge went out of his way to protect wrongdoers and punish the innocent, and extraordinarily aggrieved, plaintiffs. In several cases involving a statute of limitations analysis, he gave far more respect and deference to a billionaire fighting over the authenticity of an antique bottle of wine than dozens of men who were sexually abused as children by a trusted and revered principal and teacher. He treated the latter group of men, at every turn, as if they didn't matter. Not once in the case did he make any comment to the effect that the prominent school's multi-decade cover-up of sexual abuse, which permitted scores of children to be abused after the school knew that it was employing sexual predators (and continued to employ them), offended his sensibilities or merited condemnation. This man, under his veneer of civility and intellectual rigor, lacks the basic empathy for human suffering that every decent judge should have. He has earned, and earned with distinction, the lowest possible rating.

Litigant

Comment #: 21817
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Koeltl clearly knows the law but his shows a bias in most of his rulings toward the most liberal interpretation of case law and court rules in favor of the plaintiff irrespective of the particular merits of the case. The only check on him is his absolute fear of reversal. He's terrified of it. One will see that he states a position on a case verbally then rules differently in writing. In my case, as a civil rights defendant, Koetl's decision was reversed by the Appealate Court on a simple Rule 50 motion. He's enamored of himself and I dare say, he's the only one who is. He is not an objective judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 21815
Rating:10.0

Comments:
One of the best jurists. Brilliant, incredible work ethic, knows the facts and law cold. Judge Koeltl is exceptionally adroit at nuances in jurisprudence.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 21308
Rating:2.0

Comments:
If you get this judge, request another -- he says that he believes in one thing and then he does another. He is a total hypocrite, with regard to his alleged values.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 20831
Rating:8.8

Comments:
Very smart and even-handed. Lawyer-friendly and a genuinely nice man. Tends to overanalyze matters, which can sometimes create extra work.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 13193
Rating:5.8

Comments:
This judge believes he is the reincarnation of Justice John marshall, but in practice is just a shorter version of the stiff "old boy network" judge in the film "My Cousin Vinny", excellently portrayed by the late Fred Gwynn. In fact, with his faux Mayflower demeanor, this judge might have done a credible job as a stand in for Herman Munster.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 12869
Rating:9.5

Comments:
Very fair judge who wants to get it right.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 9449
Rating:8.2

Comments:
Judge Koeltl is clearly a left of center jurist who is intelligent but haughty. He is predisposed against summary judgement in favor of the government/law enforcement even when clearly appropriate and governed by law. He'd rather allow a jury to find culpability on the part of the goverment and law enforcement though no culpability should accrue, relying on Rule 50 and 51b motions to be made by the defense rather than to dismiss a jury's inappropriate finding. His charge to civil juries leave a great deal to be desired and he appears to be terrified of being reversed; the only factor complelling him to rule appropriately in frivilous cases against law enforcement. I'd give him an over all rating of 5 out of 10; 10 being the best rating.

Litigant

Comment #: 7542
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge has disregarded the rules of evidence specifically related to what is a settlement discussion. How could discussions or a memo of discussions between two defendants constitute settlement discussions if the memo was written years before a lawsuit was even started?

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 6646
Rating:8.3

Comments:
One of the intellectual giants of the SDNY, he knows the case before him (and the authorities) better than the lawyers. Argument on motions with him are marathons and he will cover every issue raised by the parties and otherwise. In one sense, the best judge around; in another, I feel he relishes showing that he knows more than the lawyers do, that he is playing "gotcha" and is looking for the lawyers to concede he's right rather than looking for guidance or information. But with so many other judges being superficial or unprepared, it's nice to have one who considers, understands and resolves every argument in a thorough and well-reasoned manner, even if he's ruling against you.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5038
Rating:9.2

Comments:
A patient, thoughtful judge, who lets each side makes its full case, carefully listens to it all, and then makes a clear, concise ruling. Deceptively quiet demeanor, but very bright and very fair.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 4927
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge doesn't have the sense he was born with. The 28-month sentence for Lynn Stewert was an abomination, not just to New Yorkers but everywhere throughout the U.S. Clinton appointed many good judges; this clown is not in the group. It is unsurprising there are no ratings listed form prosecutors and everyday citizens. A more comprehensive survey would, no doubt, result in across-the-board 1s. And to think he has obtained a lifetime appointment. I only hope the odds disfavor him being assigned another terrorism case. He has done enough mollycoddling!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4803
Rating:9.3

Comments:
We had an extremely complex matter before Judge Koeltl six years ago. He is extremely hard working, fair and highly intelligent. He takes the facts, applies the law and issues his well thought out decisions in a timely and methodical manner. We would all be much better off if there were more Judge Koeltls on the bench.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 3295
Rating:6.0

Comments:
He sanctioned an attorney for not attending a conference when it was his confusion that caused the non-attendance in the first place. It should have been rescheduled due to the miscommunication. The case was resolved favorably, but way too much time was spent on that one issue.

Other

Comment #: 3049
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Why wasn't this woman tried for the 5,000 American deaths, those of WTC and American Troop losses in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why wasn't she tried for treason? Her job is to defend, not Aid & Abet or Give Safe Harbor to criminals. Shame on you and on her for the remainder of your wretched lives.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2859
Rating:8.0

Comments:
Incredibly dedicated to reviewing all submissions and takes his job with appropriate seriousness. Genuinely concerned with reaching the right decision, and not afraid to reach it. Generally does not settle for pat answers from the government, which of course is rarer than it should be.
As a sentencer, fully appreciates the discretion that Booker has returned to judges, but you have to provide articulable reasons for him to exercise that discretion on a defendant's behalf.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 1702
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Although I lost the case I found Judge Koetl to be fair minded and willing to listen to both sides. He also rendered his decision quickly after the oral argument at which he was clearly prepared.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 1003
Rating:8.2

Comments:
Judge Koeltl is an excellent judge. Extremely bright and hardworking. Tried a lengthy criminal case in front of him. Understands the rules of evidence. Fair to both sides. Only criticism: extremely ponderous. Will sometimes hear hours of argument on issues that can be resolved much more quickly. That aside I'd take him over most judges any time.

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Ratings

What others have said about Hon. John G. Koeltl

Comments

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Civil Litigation - Private

Litigant

Civil Litigation - Private

Litigant

Civil Litigation - Private

Litigant

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Litigant

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Other

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer