Hon. Deborah L. Barnes See Rating Details
Magistrate Judge See Comments
E.D.Cal.  
Average Rating:1.1 - 7 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)
  Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating
Comments


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What others have said about Hon. Deborah L. Barnes


Comments


Other

Comment #: 35420
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
we too have had the abuse of discretion/power by this Magistrate. OF COURSE there are remedies whether its objections to her recommendations to Dist Judge and/or an Appeal. There is more to the All Writs Act, but that requires a motion she/they do their job notice first -- remarkable the arrogance of some Judges, Magistrates and attorneys. She is not on the Ethics Committee unlike Art III Judges in ND.. who ARE sanctioning properly the attorneys not gaming it as described in the other comments.

Send e-mail to this poster 12/20/2023 10:45:02 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 35371
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Childish, abusive, and mean-spirited. She needs to be removed.

Send e-mail to this poster 10/29/2023 5:43:05 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 35170
Rating:1.0
Comments:
[Redacted by Ed.] She is in love with her power and loves to berate you endlessly just because she can. She constantly interrupts attorneys when they are trying to make a record. She is also the worst at a settlement conference. She has ZERO skills to settle cases.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/24/2023 4:55:38 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 35144
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Magistrate Barnes is the WORST Judge we have ever encountered. She sanctioned our offices twice because of the defendant's demonstrable lack of cooperation in his own case. Decided we could control the uncontrollable. It was ridiculous. Then she wrote an order suggesting that because *she* had ruled against us, our attorneys must be somehow unethical. Way out of bounds, and bordering on defamation. We know when the rare error has occurred, and this was NOT that. She has no business on the bench.

Send e-mail to this poster 2/28/2023 5:16:12 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33693
Rating:1.0
Comments:
One of the worst magistrates I have ever encountered: biased (friendly to defense counsel representing sheriff's department; hostile to civil litigators challenging excessive force); ignorant of basic principles of protective orders.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/5/2021 12:39:10 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33578
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Very ill-informed on law. Inclined to shoot from the hip. Disrespectful to counsel with whom she disagrees. Displays obvious bias toward government and law enforcement.

Send e-mail to this poster 12/4/2020 3:14:23 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33004
Rating:1.3
Comments:
The Eastern District has long had a collegial bench, including magistrates. With this collegiality came even-handedness, civility, and excellent interactions with counsel and litigants that reflect the centrality of the rule of law in our society. I am disappointed to report that in Magistrate Barnes' case, the District appears to have made a poor choice. While not all magistrate candidates with largely administrative law or agency-related resumes should be excluded from consideration, that type of resume should be the basis for extreme caution in the selection. An administrative resume means little to no actual trial and trial-related experience, meaning poor command of the rules of evidence and procedure, and an even poorer understanding of their application. Trial attorneys gain instincts that age well with experience. By contrast, attorneys with little to no trial experience make for poor judges and magistrates.

Send e-mail to this poster 2/18/2020 11:55:23 AM