The Robing Room

Hon. Dale S. Fischer	See Rating Details
District Judge	See Comments
C.D.Cal.
Average Rating:4.0 - 46 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. Dale S. Fischer

Comments

Litigant

Comment #: 35663
Rating:1.0

Comments:
[Redacted by Ed]. In 2013, she unfortunately ruled my case by means of her lack of receptiveness, she refused to evaluate my motions, which I filed as pro-se litigant, humilliated me by words in her orders. Her orders contain reciprocating, unstable decisions, unlogical rulings, and she prefered to stand by the defendant who has frauds in representing the case with lies. In 2014 I hired lawyers and my lawyers represented me in the case she humiliated my lawyers, most of the time she go in conflicts with lawyers. My lawyers left me reasoning that the judge does not have judicial approach, not receptive to basic subjects of the case and her mind is blurry or something similar...This Judge should be arrested by federal enforcing agents and should be removed from the bench. She is a fraud!

Other

Comment #: 35173
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Horrible judge. Allows fbi to admit they lied to get indictment but then bars defense counsel to bring it up at trial. She decides the case before she hears it and rolls her eyes and makes noises so jurors and galley members know what she’s thinking. She says she is the law during jury selection. She needs to be removed from the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 34353
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Very rude and disgusting. If you get assigned her… might as well jump off a cliff.

Other

Comment #: 34215
Rating:1.0

Comments:
It would seem judge Dale S. Fischer does not serve the people, feels she is above the law, she is not impartial, and has a nasty streak. While she is a judge, she sure does not live up to the honorable portion of her title.

Other

Comment #: 33527
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
The nicest thing I can say is she needs to retire!

Litigant

Comment #: 33525
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Extremely biased judicial officer, disregard the law and the cannons of the judicial ethics.

Litigant

Comment #: 33524
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Extreme and obvious bias in favor of the government. Utters noises and rolls her eyes from the bench for all the gallery and jurors to see. Disparages the lawyers before her. Quite an embarrassment to our justice system. Justice may be blind but Dale sees what she wants to see. And it will become obvious to all in the courtroom, in short order, i.e, after first day of discovery or pre-trial, how she will rule in the end. Respectfully, it's time to put this one out to pasture and let a fair and unbiased person to occupy that seat. There has been enough suffering in 2020.

Other

Comment #: 33025
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge with horrible inferiority complex, very bad reputation, bad manners, should be seeking serious psychiatrical help. She is coronavirus to all around her

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32983
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I had the pleasure and honor to clerk for Judge Fischer. She is, without a doubt, one of the smartest and hardest working judicial officers around. Her judicial philosophy is simply to make the correct decision. Yes, she can be terrifying, but that's directed at lazy litigants that seem hell-bent on wasting everyone's time.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32947
Rating:1.0

Comments:
What an insulting human being, goes out
of her way to be rude and condescending.
Lacks any semblance of what one would
expect a judge to be. I have lost faith
in our Federal Judiciary based on what
I experienced this day.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32881
Rating:2.3

Comments:
Judge Fischer is habitually rude to attorneys. She frequently makes weird inappropriate comments which I have never encountered with other judges such as "I get to decide the case -- you don't". I freely admit to a bias against Harvard Law grads, especially those who seem to be full of themselves. I attended one of the two law schools ranked higher (Yale/ Stanford) where we had none of this self absorbed arrogance. It was an unpleasant experience to be in this court room.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32800
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
She picks a side and Lord help you if you aren't on that side. Smart, but her bias makes her prone to mistakes. Not sure if she is capable of fairness.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 25217
Rating:2.7

Comments:
A very disappointing Judge -- unusually mean spirited in temperament. Seems to enjoy belittling attorneys which is not a desirable quality for a federal judge. Hopefully, retirement occurs soon.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 25192
Rating:8.4

Comments:
I was pleasantly surprised. She is a stickler on technical requirements, but was very friendly, honest and engaged in court, unlike many other judges who seem to enjoy abusing attorneys.

Litigant

Comment #: 25191
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Dale S Fischer dismisses cases that question entrenched government bureaucracies and favors the agencies that protect the status quo. Nothing will change in this country as long as we keep elevating shills for the private prison industry like this one.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 24634
Rating:9.8

Comments:
Judge Fischer is an excellent jurist. She has rules and is intimately well-versed in the FRCP, and any decent practicing lawyer should be familiar with her rules and the FRCP. I've found most lawyers are lazy about the rules to their own detriment. Judge Fischer made a very well-thought out and reasoned and principled ruling in a case I had before her.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 24525
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Unreasonable, ill-tempered, enjoys humiliating counsel, bias favoring business/government, horrible on fee motions. Apparently prevailing parties in fee-shifting cases should all get < minimum wage (or close to it) for their good work. Has completely lost sight of what it means to be a real and fair jurist.

Other

Comment #: 24267
Rating:1.0

Comments:
In 2009-2010 she denied me all constitutional rights to self-representation, a speedy trial, and all witnesses for trial, but while giving the government carte blanche treatment. CR 09-831-DSF.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 24265
Rating:1.8

Comments:
The judge is cruel and enjoys humiliating attorneys who cross her. She quickly decides whose side she is on and tries to force a favorable decision for that side. Monstrously unfair!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23965
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Worst judge in C.D. Cal. More crazy than Manuel Real. Should be put in jail.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23840
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Decides early on what she thinks of a case and goes out of her way to ensure the case resolves consistent with that first impression, regardless of evidence. Ignores bad faith conduct of counsel who she favors, while penalizing other counsel at every available turn. Very hostile/impatient.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23658
Rating:2.3

Comments:
Simply awful temperament. Seems to enjoy embarrassing new or inexperienced counsel. Particularly vile with female attorneys. Her clerk is just as temperamental. Very particular and will statutory language and case law to favor her biases against particular types of cases.

Litigant

Comment #: 23189
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Worst judge ever. This judge decides who she wants to win before the trial, and then ignores the arguments of the side she does not like. Then she looks back for evidence of her pre-conclusion.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 23164
Rating:3.7

Comments:
Vile and nasty. Stay out of her courtroom at all costs.

Court Staff

Comment #: 23039
Rating:4.5

Comments:
Not recommended

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 22668
Rating:2.0

Comments:
Very hard on defendants especially minor players in conspiracies who have no record, poor health and did not benefit substantially from the underlying crime. She is like having another government lawyer against you. I get the feeling her personal life and relationships are problematic because she has an edge about her only a person with baggage would display against defendants. Hope you don't get assigned to her.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 21662
Rating:2.0

Comments:
This judge allowed the IRS a summary judgment dismissing my EEO case, which was based on discrimination/non-selection due to a history of breast cancer. She did not consider any of my arguments, and basically gave the case away to the IRS, acting as judge and jury -- exceeding her position as judge. She is definitely pro-big business/big government. She does not consider the rights of the little guy who has been beaten down by a big employer. Avoid her if you have a labor law/EEO case.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 21309
Rating:2.0

Comments:
This judge -- not to put too fine a point on it -- sucks big time. She decides who she wants to win before the trial, and then ignores the arguments of the side she does not like. She looks back for evidence of her pre-conclusion.

Other

Comment #: 20935
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
She displayed bias in front of the jury, was disrespectful to the defendant, and gave the defendant an exceedingly harsh sentence. She is not known as "The Hammer" for nothing!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 20800
Rating:8.4

Comments:
A very good judge.

Litigant

Comment #: 20799
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Despite the negative comments that I have read, I see Judge Fischer as a fair, reasonable, and tough judge who commands respect from attorneys and litigants. She is not "bought and sold" by large law firms and she is not afraid to render her strong opinion. She is very fair to pro per litigants. I wish there were more judges like her.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 13837
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Unpleasant, snotty, and disagreeable on a good day. Dishonest, annoying, and dreadful on a bad day. Pro-government and anti-civil rights plaintiffs.

Litigant

Comment #: 13828
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Extraordinary intellect. Willing to acknowledge any errors and render justice. Judge Fischer would have my respect regardless of how she rules, because I know her decisions are not biased, but fsir and well reasoned.

Probation or Pretrial Officer

Comment #: 9944
Rating:4.0

Comments:
She is a workhorse, for sure. She is also a finicky despot, and perhaps the only federal judge universally reviled by the parties, probation officers, pre-trial services officers and most of her colleagues.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 9338
Rating:4.2

Comments:
She is the ice princess. Not pleasant at all and seems to go out of her way to be insulting.

Other

Comment #: 8908
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Well I must say that the Honorable Judge Fischer is smart, considerate & I really like her. She has always been nice to me in her courtroom. She even took my extensive medical conditions into consideration and was fair and good to me. She is only strict when it’s needed. I thank GOD she was my judge on earth. I understand what the below lawyer wrote about peoples feelings with sentencing. I suffered many many months waiting for it. But on the other side you must consider what The Honorable Judge Fischer deals with every day. While I was there for my sentencing I had to wait for others to get sentenced. That’s when I saw first hand what she does for a living. She had to deal with violent criminals, illegal alien criminals, hardened criminals etc. Can you imagine doing this every day? Thank GOD for her and all other judges for having to do this for the safety of our society. I am very grateful that she saw that I did not deserve jail and gave me probation. And I am also very grateful to the Prosecutors, the FBI , Pretrial & Probation folks as well. They were and are very nice to me. ... I thank GOD every day this ordeal is almost over.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 8621
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I'm a product of law school and a product of the legal mind. This legal training and experience seems to harden everyone's hearts. After time, it seems so much easier to simply tune them out and just be 'strict' and say 'who cares,' we need law and order and so or so should have known.

If only a Judge can step into the eyes of a family member or a defendant waiting for his sentence... then she will know how much every day of an extra sentence can truly mean or feel.

The law is never fairly applied. Those whom are picked up for a crime are merely the unlucky ones picked off to be made examples of. The entire criminal process, from arrest (FBI raiding the family's home) to the torturous process of waiting on the unknown, dealing with public stigma, dealing with constant prying and invasion of privacy... is punishment enough.

The one that made a mistake -- and his/or her family is no less human than everyone else. Like everyone else, they are only trying to survive.

Other

Comment #: 8434
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I think she is very smart, but she seems to give everyone jail time.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6268
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Consistently biased in favor of corporate defendants and the government, and writes opinions that disguise her biases better than some of her other very conservative colleagues.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6117
Rating:5.8

Comments:
Judge Fischer, though smart and focused, is, in my opinion, one of the most biased judges I've come across. I echo the other write-up: she's heartless. She went out of her way to accomodate the government in a FTCA case, and I would recommend caution to anyone who steps in her courtroom, representing either a private litigant against the United States or a criminal defendant. I lost some faith in the system after crossing her path. I hestitated to write this, but felt that this had to be said. Again, this is simply my opinion.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4968
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Fischer got on the federal bench by demonstrating toughness when as a state court judge she presided over football star Jim Brown's spousal assault case, putting him in jail. Though that was a correct thing to have done, on the federal bench the only way to describe her is as heartless. She is so heartless that it overshadows any good qualities she has. She could become a good judge were she to find a heart, but it probably is too late for that.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 4558
Rating:8.8

Comments:
I agree that Judge Fischer is very bright and very patient. She devotes a great deal of effort to understanding the law and ruling on motions.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 2173
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Judge Fischer is extremely smart and very patient. She has a great temperament and works very hard.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 1639
Rating:3.5

Comments:
I did my first criminal sentencing in 1989. 17 years later and many judges, both federal and state, I had a client sentenced by this judge. I have never dealt with a judge with such an absence of compassion and fairness. Despite an agreement between client and government that 51 months was a reasonable sentence, which Probation concurred with, she imposed 90 months. She did so without compunction and by totally ignoring any mitigating factors and arguments. In fact, she seemed irritated that I argued for my client and impatient to get to a result that she had predetermined, despite my lengthy sentencing brief and additional argument. A truly lamentable choice for a judge, she'd have been better suited to working as an executioner.

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Ratings

What others have said about Hon. Dale S. Fischer

Comments

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Civil Litigation - Private

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Litigant

Litigant

Other

Civil Litigation - Private

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Litigant

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Other

Civil Litigation - Private

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Civil Litigation - Private

Litigant

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Court Staff

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Civil Litigation - Private

Other

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Litigant

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Litigant

Probation or Pretrial Officer

Civil Litigation - Private

Other

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Other

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer