"The Robing Room: MD State Judges

Hon. Steven G. Salant	See Rating Details
Associate Circuit Judge Circuit Court
Montgomery County 6th Circuit	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 3.2 - 31 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 17 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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Only items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating.

General Rating Criteria

* 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=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Steven G. Salant

Comments

Other

Comment #: MD9542
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Before my divorce my attorney and I went to court to have my ex’s assets frozen - the judge wanted a$50,000 bond- my attorney said I didn’t have that the judge said “put it under the divorce” which I guess they did and it was 6 months before the freez eorder was signed - yes my ex removed much of the money from our retirement accounts in the mean time - p.s. I had no access to them so the bond was probably not necessary - p.s. I realized after the divorce trial that this was the same judge who had denied the freeze-
My lawyer got an order so the other side couldn’t use an expert witness for the finances - the other layer began to quote the letter in his summary - my lawyer protested - the judge said no it was fine and that he could have done the same - this wasn’t true as I didn’t have money for the expert and I had paid extra to have it excluded
In his final decision the judge went exactly by what that expert had said re: finances whic really hurt me
Financially - I have been working 2 jobs since and can’t retire
Besides all this ; my attorney was going through his own divorce (for similar circumstances)with court dates sometimes on the same day as mine. I didn’t find out until after the trials.
He and his partner didn’t use any of the info. I had written to them in court - no summary defending me- and when he didn’t bribing up something he told me he would and I asked him why in court at the end of the trial he said “I changed my mind”-
He had time to go to hockey games with the opposing attorney - vacations- and as his partner had told me had driven back all night from S.C. From a 4th of July party to be at my last trial date.
I really don’t believe in the justice system in the Montgomery county family law
When the other lawyer got the judge on my case changed to this judge - I looked up reviews - he was almost disbarred for things he said to women defendants - when I brought this up to my attorneys there was no answer and no change of the judge

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD9249
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge has to go!

Concerns about a Maryland Judge
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Litigant

Comment #: MD9248
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Given the number of comments and the across-the-board low scores, this arrogant ass of a judge should be scrutinized for removal (if that's even possible). I had the exact same experience with him in that he was arrogant, an overall ass, and didn't remember basic facts of the case while spouting his angry ruling. Clearly a problem person.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD9225
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Holy mother of dog. He wasn’t very successful in private practice, and he has been a disaster as a master and judge for years. ANYONE on that bench is preferable to him, especially in family law cases (OMG - there are no words) and especially if your lawyer is not part of the Bethesda/Rockville mafia.

Litigant

Comment #: MD9188
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Total disaster. Could care less for the law and evidence. He is arrogant, discourteous, and very biased. I pity those who go before him and are not his favorites.

Litigant

Comment #: MD9119
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This Judge didnt appear to be successful in private practice and now the taxpayers of Montgomery county are paying his bills. Its clear he is chummy with the local bar by his demeanor in court. I think we should only allow judges to serve if they have been successful in practice. If private citizens do not want to use him, why should taxpayers have to pay for him.

Litigant

Comment #: MD7859
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Unprofessional, irresponsible and arrogant. Did not want to hear from plaintiffs and told us what the outcome would be before the scheduled hearing. Seems we were an inconvenience for him. He was not our scheduled judge. Rushed us and disregarded any evidence. Made fun of us in the hallway. Will be filing a grievance against him.

Other

Comment #: MD7615
Rating:1.0

Comments:
He is an arrogant man, who is not familiar with the law. Worse, he was not familiar with the facts. He is more concerned with his image, instead of being concerned about the case before him. Worse, I heard later from an attorney about biases that he had in a case before him. God help those, who appear before him.

Other

Comment #: MD7584
Rating:1.0

Comments:
He is not fit to make life changing decisions. He is rude, arrogant, unprofessional, skips over facts, and shows favoritism towards those he knows in the court system.

Litigant

Comment #: MD7356
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Plays favorites with particular attorneys. Practices Racial inequality and systemic racism. Has an attitude but does not pay attention to detailed matters and when he responds to them, he has misunderstand and way off in left field.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD7284
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Is there a contest amongst Montgomery County judges over who can be the worst judge?
If so, Salant is more than holding his own.
Really, his tempermant is awful. He's nothing more than a bully in a robe.
He should never have been selected as a judge.

Other

Comment #: MD7208
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Salant is the definition of unprofessional. Nepotism, cronyism and bias are the rules of his courtroom. I feel that anyone on here who gave him favorable reviews are in this judge's circle of friends. He doesn't seem to know the law until it favors the side he is biased toward. He should be removed from the bench as he is not fit to serve.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD7207
Rating:1.2

Comments:
Judge Salant was a complete waste of my time. He completely ignored the evidence in front of him and decided earlier on which party he liked better. I couldn't believe his complete disregard of the facts. EXTREMELY bias. His ruling was like watching a Jerry Springer episode. It was unbelievable. He was rude and condescending and left the trial to take a call from his buddy! Who gives a shit about your buddy. These are my children's lives at stake, he could care less. How in the world this guy is still on the bench is beyond me.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD7166
Rating:2.1

Comments:
Judge Salant makes faces of disgust when you appear in front of him. This is when he doesn't understand what you are saying. Instead of asking for help in understanding he scowls, rolls his eyes and throws his arms around like a man off his meds. Extremely disrespectful to attorneys in front of clients.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD6701
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
The Judicial Selections Committee of Montgomery County messed this one up. There was plenty of evidence that Judge Salant lacked the proper demeanor when he sat as a Master. Not a nice guy. Gets angry with both counsel and litigants way too often. If you're doing that during sensitive Family matters, what's going to happen with less sensitive matters. He is competent but proper demeanor is so so important and he simply doesn't have it.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD6691
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Nasal voiced prick

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD6258
Rating:2.4

Comments:
Good on criminal sentencing. Horrible on actual law, especially civil. No intellectual ability.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD6138
Rating:9.9

Comments:
Judge Salent understands that his role is to apply the law to the facts and not overlook the law due to a personal bias. You could not ask for a better judge who fairly calls the balls and strikes.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD6107
Rating:9.6

Comments:
I have known Judge Salant since we were both relatively young lawyers in the 1980's. I have appeared before him many times when he was a Family Division Master (now Magistrate) and in the Circuit Court in family law cases. He is always prepared and always renders thoughtful decisions. I have won some cases and lost some but have always felt that my client got a fair trial and that Judge Salant listened to the evidence and properly applied the law. I would not hesitate to have him hear any of my cases.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD6083
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I have appeared before many judges, and I thought that the comments about Judge Salant were exaggerated. I was wrong. They were spot on. Judge Salant does not have the appropriate temperament to be a judge. He is definitely biased. If you are against a large company, it is unlikely that Judge Salant will rule on anything in your favor.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD5851
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I had a modification of child support and modification of visitation case. His knowledge was completely lacking, and at times he went off on me so hard, that it felt almost as if he had already made a decision about the case based on quick and early biases toward me. He has very little patience, very little temperament, and complete disregard for how his decisions can impact others.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD5550
Rating:8.3

Comments:
Nice guy, fair and thoughtful. He gets frustrated when people are not prepared.

Other

Comment #: MD5521
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Very biased and he does nothing to hide it. I am not even sure he knows the law that well either. Complete lack of any empathy.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD5315
Rating:1.4

Comments:
He totally misunderstood basic civil procedure. Went out of the courtroom, read the rules and still screwed it up.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD4173
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Perhaps potato sack racer is a new suspect classification dictating elevation of the weak and infirm without regard to talent.

Litigant

Comment #: MD3996
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Here's some free advice on how to obtain a favorable ruling from Judge Salant. Have your client make the most outrageous allegations against the other party. Evidence ? Surely you jest. Judge Salant requires no evidence whatsoever. He will repeat your clients outrageous allegations in his ruling as if they are fact. Another pointer is to hire a professional paid expert to say what you want him or her to say. It doesn't matter if the expert has any specific knowledge of your particular case. Judge Salant will lap it up. If the other side produces witnesses with specific experience and knowledge of the case, don't worry, Judge Salant won't believe them. He prefers to believe those who are paid to say whatever they are told to say. To say that Judge Salant is as dumb as a stump would be to insult stumps.

Litigant

Comment #: MD3990
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Salant is terrible. His ruling stunned both attorneys, even the winning attorney who assumed he would rule in a different direction. He's condescending to the party he doesn't like, and was completely mistaken about basic facts of the case. He's an embarrassment and shouldn't be making life-altering decisions for anyone.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD3962
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I think the incompetent judges of MC kowtow to big firms. This is no exception.

Litigant

Comment #: MD3704
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Steven Salant presided over a custody matter involving my child. I am a trial lawyer and I have appeared before many judges in different jurisdictions. I do not believe my case was fairly evaluated. Salant was pompous in the courtroom and did not apply Maryland law. I also found two of his comments--from the bench to have the distinct taint of a racial undertone. I think Charles Dickens stated it best: "the law is an ass-an idiot." Mr. Dickens might as well have been describing Steven G. Salant. He is an ass-and a biased petty jurist.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD3275
Rating:1.0

Comments:
He needs lessons in how to be courteous to the parties in his courtroom. He is a typical judge who has been elected and no longer needs to serve the public. There are other judges on his court after whom he could model his behavior.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD3046
Rating:1.7

Comments:
Judicial qualifications?

Previously completed potato sack race ahead of multiple yentas in a heated contest.

Other

Comment #: MD2918
Rating:3.0

Comments:
This judge appears to have misunderstood the facts presented by defense while favoring its opponents. In other words he presided over an unfair trial. His apparently prejudicial conduct most likely contributed to his ridiculously unfair decision.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD2314
Rating:8.9

Comments:
Smart, honest, fair, and patient.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD2125
Rating:1.6

Comments:
Really?

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD1952
Rating:1.6

Comments:
He actually chastised me for not making the other side's case for them -- I asked him if he wanted to pay my malpractice premiums. I won the case, despite his attempts to force my client to concede. He insults parties and attorneys in open court. Truly an embarrassment to the bench.

Prosecutor

Comment #: MD1839
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Per communication log presentation he was a virtualy nil on such communication of the apartment employees calls on us tenants as well removing essential properties from their tenant owners has gained me the opinion an the state as his own comments on communication problems not my fault but the failure of respect on communication by the appartment administration . To my position with priorites for our supportive services of our country we have no such responsibilities in the apartment supportive services.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD1783
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This Judge is worst one I saw in my 25 years. He listened the case and saw the evidences submitted in trial. But later opponent has a expensive attorney(may be his pet)and so, he changed to their side on Judgement.

Litigant

Comment #: MD1475
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The judge was concerned with his image and not the circumstances of the case. He also was not prepared about the facts of the case.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD1423
Rating:3.0

Comments:
Had my only trial before Judge Salant. He was very biased and prejudged the case. He showed bias against a witness for his Christian faith which he seemed to me to mock. He was making a lot of noise in chambers that could be heard in the courtroom which made me uncomfortable, such as talking loudly about the evidence to someone in chambers and clearly was designed to intimidate. He limited my witnesses by interrupting testimony and basically tried the case for opposing counsel. He suggested defenses to opposing counsel which were not viable and not pursued to that point. I have been told by another lawyer that he has certain "pets" i.e. lawyers he favors and you cannot win if you are against one of his pets. I was not against one of his pets, but his conduct was very rude which I believe was based on some hate toward the witness who had made some comments about being a Christian.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD1398
Rating:2.8

Comments:
The only reason I didn't rate this judge with a line of 1s is because Judge Rubin sets the record for absolute worst ever. Salant lacks judgment, temperament, and all the other fundamentals that make a good judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD1356
Rating:2.0

Comments:
Judge Salant certainly didn't let a lack of understanding the issues prevent him from reaching a decision in the one case I've had before him.

Litigant

Comment #: MD1247
Rating:1.0

Comments:
My experience with, at the time Master Salant, was really quite awful. My case (pro se) was a child support modification request - the first a decade after the divorce was final.

From the outset of the hearing, Master Salant exhibited disdain and disrespect for me and my quest for fair hearing. Others who witnessed the hearing were flabbergasted.

I have a para legal background and so am not a stranger to courtroom procedure. Salant took every opportunity to belittle me as a person, litigant and parent. He refused to hear the bulk of my evidence.

What a chilling effect such conduct creates to those of us seeking a fair and impartial hearing.

Perhaps a coincidence, but the defendant, my ex husband, has a sister who is member of the same attorneys' club as Mr. Salant.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD1165
Rating:8.0

Comments:
Despite my limited experience with this judge and although I don't have the facts re the BIA, I'll tell you from my experience and others that MC BIAs tend to milk the parties for the little effort they put into their job. This judge probably knew that because anyone with domestic experience would know that fact. Its unfortunate.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD1131
Rating:3.5

Comments:
Is there a way to send him back to being a Master?

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD1109
Rating:5.5

Comments:
It shows the problems with sending a Domestic Relations Master straight to Circuit court. He must have one of the worst judicial temperaments ever! He is petty, dictatorial and obviously thinks too highly of himself. He was willing to accept a District court seat. He was that desperate.

Other

Comment #: MD1027
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Salant was rated as the worst Judge in Maryland.

Both Judge Salant and the Commission on Judicial Disabilities are a sick joke!
Both disrespected the rape victim and should be held accountable.

A case of the good Old Boys Club protecting each other. SHAME on Salant and the CJD!

Other

Comment #: MD1026
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Why would any rape victim come forward in Montgomery County.

3 young men gang rape a girl, confess to first degre rape he releases them with no consequences and the victim get crusified. What was he thinking.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD1025
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Salant is a complete incompetent! Total embarrismnent to the Judicial System and has brough shame to the Commission on Judicial Disabilities.
How can anyone re-victimise a gang raped 15 year old girl and her family.
If he does not resign he should be removed.

Litigant

Comment #: MD1014
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Sometimes he gets it right- but when he screws up- he does big time. I certainly dont think he should be handling any family law cases- but then again the entire MoCo Bench is corrupt- what more do you expect.
He should have been removed from the Bench for his inappropriate comments towards a victim. Kudos to that dad whose voice was finally heard- its not an easy thing to achieve.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD1003
Rating:2.8

Comments:
he was terrible when he was a domestic relations master and he has not gotten any better

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD855
Rating:2.0

Comments:
The posting regarding the BIA opinion is untrue. Judge Salant's ruling was OVERTURNED after a 3-judge panel review, and the BIA was awarded 100% of the claimed fees. There has been no appellate ruling. Judge Salant's ruling and his handling of the case have been widely criticized.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD836
Rating:8.8

Comments:
In 2010, Judge Salant issued the most widely circulated written opinion in Montgomery County. A parent had challenged the grossly excessive bills of his child's Best Interest Attorney. Judge Salant reduced the BIA's bills by 90% on the grounds that the BIA had not properly performed her duties, had not properly allocated her legal services between the parents, and had not even submitted proper and timely invoices. His ruling was affirmed on appeal.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD824
Rating:2.4

Comments:
I have been in court rooms for 30 years and Salant is by far the worst I have ever seen!