The Robing Room

Hon. Deborah K. Chasanow	See Rating Details
District Judge	See Comments
D.Md.
Average Rating:3.4 - 24 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. Deborah K. Chasanow

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 34418
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Having appeared in front of Judge Chasanow, it is clear that even a 3.5 rating out of 10.0 is way too high. Chasanow's last 10 score is obviously made by the judge herself as if anyone who appears before her would be fooled.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33771
Rating:10.0

Comments:
It is clear that Judge Chasanow works hard to come to the correct result. Even if that is an unpopular decision.

Litigant

Comment #: 32695
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Wow, Judge Chasanow. You're officially voted the worst federal judge in the U.S. As a former litigant who suffered from your incredibly ludicrous behavior all I can say is "you've earned it."

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32424
Rating:1.0

Comments:
A poor excuse of a human being pretending to be a judge. She is not honest and her "scholarship" is a bad joke. Unfortunately, the 4th Fed Cir. has her back and she's not going anywhere.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 29401
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Just not very smart. Ignores settled law, including clear statutory law, and makes up her own law.

Amazing that she graduated from an elite law school (Stanford), since she's not what I think of as typical quality from such a school.

I think part of her problem is she does not like certain kinds of litigants when race or ethnicity is at issue. You're probably better off not being white in such a case.

Other

Comment #: 26678
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Honorable? No I think not! Any judge whom has total disregard for the consitution and amendments is not only a tyrant but not a good judge of character. She is a administrative ruler who rules for the government and not the People. I will be personally seeking her Bond. She disregards Supreme court rulings which is stare decisis at law,and she practice law From the Bench which is it illegal. She needs to follow her husband and retire. What she does is criminal against the Constitution. Buyers beware

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 25576
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Apparently, I'm not the only attorney who finds Judge Chasanow less than a stellar judge and human being. Here is my warning to all litigants: Do not trust her.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 24790
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Another disgraceful,example of sloppy vetting by our U.S. senators. We deserve better on the bench than these life timers who do a serious disservice. This jurist genuinely thninks she is God. The judgeship goes to her head. Disrespectful to litigants. Citizens should unite and get these life time federal judges off the bench. They endanger the fairness of the judicial process and are a waste of taxpayer dollars to keep them in a job when they are disrespectful to the people they serve and pay their salaries.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 24765
Rating:1.0

Comments:
There is nothing good that I can say about this Judge. Nothing!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 24299
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Not a good judge. Biased and not particularly bright.

Other

Comment #: 23720
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge spent years holding up the case only to bring it to trial and then write a ruling citing no evidence from the trial. Extremely biased and like other posters below, waited until close to Sept. 30 to rule after sitting on it for more than a year. Her writings were rushed and nonsensical to the point that it appeared she decided who she wanted to win based on personal preference and then worked backwards in order to justify her ruling. It's time to retire.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22290
Rating:1.0

Comments:
My former comment about Judge Chasanow was deleted, but probably because I called her c----pt. This time I will not use the "c" word, but instead speak of the details of her acts. In order to have my case dismissed, Judge Chasanow, inter alia, not just distorted well-established case law, but took judicial notice of non-existent facts. I responded with a request for reconsideration, and filed motions under FRE 201(c)(2) and 201(e). My own motions for JN were clearly supported by public documents in her possession (that were entered by the opposition), and the facts I alleged contradicted Chasanow's false assertions. Chasanow responded by refusing to consider the motions on the merits, and she even went so far as to cut off motion practice as the other side could not dispute my factual assertions. I've never even heard of a judge cutting off motion practice. A friend of mine told me a few horror stories about her, but those sound like the comments below. Comment 22269 describes her opinions as "poorly researched and internally-inconsistent." I suspect that isn't the case, and I'm sure you cited correct case law, which she ignored. This tiny note to the world will barely be noticed if noticed at all, but should anyone want detail, you are invited to email me. Judges like Chasanow give the judiciary a bad name.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22269
Rating:1.2

Comments:
Extremely biased (pro government ab initio). She decides the cases (in favor of government, of course)without deciding the actual issues before her. Opinions are very poorly researched and internally-inconsistent, and seem to be written by her staff with her signature attached to them.

Litigant

Comment #: 22172
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Extremely biased, decides quickly and without evidence that she hates a case and works to destroy the litigants. Definitely a lifetime spent sucking the federal teat.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22152
Rating:1.0

Comments:
When she decides she doesn't like a case, she goes out of her way to break whatever rule is necessary. Having worked for the government in one capacity or another for her entire career, she's developed a sense of self-righteousness. She can be rude and condescending. Too bad she opted for semi-retirement instead of retirement.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 20860
Rating:3.2

Comments:
After finishing my first case in front of this judge, I hope it will be my last case. I won despite her evident bias. The genius of the jury system is that it allows us to bypass much of the nonsense of bad judges. She's been criticized in the past for poor scholarship, and a poster below attributes it to rushed decisions. I think she's just incompetent.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 11796
Rating:4.3

Comments:
Intelligent with good instincts, but utterly overwhelmed by case load. Incapable of making decisions in a timely fashion -- even simple, routine decisions; even decisions that would move the case forward or move it toward settlement (and thus reduce her level of work). Most of her decisions tend to arrive just before March 31 or September 30 - the dates when the Administrative Office of the Courts checks to see how many pending motions judges have. Because the decisions are often rushed, the scholarship is frequently poor.

Other

Comment #: 10622
Rating:1.0

Comments:
From where I sit as an innocent investor in SBM which is being sued by the SEC, this judge isn''t doing a thing. For 5 years I, my mother, and I dont'' know how many others, have had no access to our own money, while she keeps saying no to letting this go to trial for resolution. The situation caused real, irrevocable suffering to my mother and serious problems for me. This judge seems to have taken no responsibility for managing this case at all and has now turned it over to a magistrate. (!!??) If she didn''t want to deal with it herself, why didn''t she turn it over years ago? She doesn''t seem up to the job. I suggest early retirement.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 10517
Rating:5.3

Comments:
A good judge who issues very thoughtful detailed orders. Unfortunately she can be very slow in issuing these orders and suffers the filings of Pro Se litigants way too long before managing the situation. She might be able to move things on her docket faster if she scheduled in court room appearances rather than just waiting for the motions and pleadings to be filed. otherwise though a good and fair judge.

Other

Comment #: 7480
Rating:9.0

Comments:
I would rate her more highly but my exposure was limited to a single trial. If she manages jurors, litigants and attorneys this well every time she deserves a higher rating. She managed the jury and evidence exceptionally well with an excellent temperament, and gave the attorneys enough discretion while avoiding too much control. I agree with the comment that she was cogent, restrained, and understood the issues. I enjoyed being a part of her courtroom.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 7366
Rating:7.3

Comments:
Very thoughtful judge. Ruled from the bench in a highly cogent and structured manner. Had a good grasp of the issues and the questions that needed to be asked. Also displayed conservative instincts insofar as she decided the matter (a preliminary injunction) on narrow grounds rather than the overarching constitutional grounds.

Other

Comment #: 6061
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
In 2001, this judge allowed an unfair trial to take place involving a female police officer accused of civil rights violations.The only crime that officer committed was releasing her police dog on a fleeing suspect. What the officer did followed Prince George County police procedures. Civil rights issues were involved because the suspect was Hispanic. Judge Chasonow allowed a kangaroo court to take place consisting of a partial minority jury sympathetic to illegal aliens and witnesses testifying against her who had nothing but hearsay statements that lacked authenticity. She sentenced the officer to ten years where previously she sentenced a woman to five years over a drunken manslaughter charge resulting in a park ranger's death. I believe this to be unfair sentencing on Judge Chasanow's part.

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What others have said about Hon. Deborah K. Chasanow

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Litigant

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Other

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Other

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Litigant

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Other

Civil Litigation - Private

Other

Civil Litigation - Private

Other