Comment #: MD8542
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Mason was one of the judges who sent Amy Castillo’s three children to their deaths. Astounded to read comment below that he was still playing god with children’s lives up to his retirement. Zero regret or remorse, apparently.

I never believed people were truly evil until I stepped foot in family courts. Avoid if you can. Why go to court if you’ll get the opposite of justice and your children are put in danger by judges who get off on the vicarious abuse?

Comment #: MD7800
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I can not even give him a 1. That is how disappointed we are. He handled the custody case of my grandson. In the end he handed my grandson over to his abusive father who has multiple encounters with police and had also lost his other child. Judge Mason only see’s what he wants to. He doesn’t look into the facts. My family and I plan on appealing his decision.

Comment #: MD6021
Rating:10.0
Comments:
Excellent Judge and Respectful in his dealings with both lawyers and lay persons

Comment #: MD4068
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Having spoken to others familiar with the Maryland Circuit Court for Montgomery County, I can say that in my case Judge Mason failed terribly to live up to his fine reputation. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have yet to deal with a more overrated professional.

Having reviewed the comments on this site posted about Judge Michael D. Mason, I agree that Judge Mason is very clear with litigants about where he would like them to go with their arguments but that is about the only positive thing I can say about this judge.

I also agree that it takes Judge Mason far longer to rule on things and issue decisions than it should.
The Judge's delays are not caused by careful deliberations either. I spoke to the judge's secretary and he ruled on a motion the other side made before allowing me the lawfully required time to reply. The judge and his chambers then filed his ruling long after I replied, I suspect so as to look like he took my brief into consideration.

Prior to that the judge made a big to do about how the other side needed to have time to reply to my motion that the other side post a supersedes bond and told me that all I could do was make a motion to shorten time which Judge McGann who was covering for Judge Mason that day as duty judge denied.

If memory serves and it may not one user of this site commented scheduling was a problem for Judge Mason and I do not know if it was another user or the same one who said that Mason appeared to be of the belief that the litigant's case was a waste of the judge's time. I could not agree more. Despite my motion asking for more time and the other side's admission that mine was a complicated case Judge Mason scheduled us only for a half hour of oral argument saying that it was his policy to allow no more on petitions for judicial review from administrative agencies. The judge then cut oral argument short so he could go onto the next case when the judge was late.

Judge Mason would not give either the attorney arguing against me or me the time of day.

If this Judge is as many say the best in the county, this fine county has a lot of work to do in the area of judicial selection especially considering that our location right outside the nation's capital allows us to draw our bench from an elite bar.

We are truly fortunate that this cancer to our bench is close to turning 70 and reaching the mandatory retirement age for judges.

Comment #: MD3277
Rating:10.0
Comments:
He handles complex cases exceptionally well and always rules fairly. He and never displays any bias or impatience and properly allows the attorneys to handle their cases. One of the best.

Comment #: MD2931
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Fuck Judge Mason! I laugh at his sentence. I hope he die on his way to work! I hope he crash and burn alive. I wish you the worst of luck in life FAGGOT. You sentence me for shit I never did. It's cool Feds know how them prosecutors abuse power.

Comment #: MD2920
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Fair and caring. Has been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, so he sees both sides of cases. Handles the most difficult business and technology cases.

Comment #: MD2014
Rating:9.4
Comments:
Comment MD1176 mirrors my feelings towards this judge. MoCo and PG benches would be cured of their massive dysfunction if the other judges were near as good as Judge Mason. I'd recommend him for CoSA or CoA, but who wants to lose him as a trial judge? If more judges were also intolerant of unethical behavior from the local attorneys, perhaps there would be fewer unethical tactics by the sleaziest of attorneys (and we know who the worst are).

Comment #: MD1461
Rating:9.7
Comments:
I love appearing before Judge Mason. He is well prepared and let's you know where he'd like to hear argument. I have confidence that he knows the law and will apply it impartially. I know my client will get a fair hearing when Judge Mason presides.

Comment #: MD1370
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Worst judge ever. Period.

Comment #: MD1358
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
as a young attorney still somewhat nervous and intimidated before judges at times, I found him polite and responsive and felt he listened to what I was saying and responded to it rationally even ruling against me. more than many other judges would do here in Maryland A+

Comment #: MD1176
Rating:9.8
Comments:
Hands down the best judge on the Montgomery County bench. I have lost and I have won in front of Judge Mason, yet I've never deeply disagreed with what he's done -- i.e., its always been fair and even when I don't like his rulings they're always just & within the bounds of the law, and not the product of bias. He is a man of conscience, in my opinion. He is fair. He is extremely intelligent. He is unusually hard working. He has always displayed appropriate judicial temperment when I've been in his Court room. Ironically, the only time I've ever seen him truly openly chastise a lawyer
in open court involved a friend of mine; and, I happened to be in the court room on another case, but knew the background of what the guy got chewed out for and thought it was well-deserved (I had cautioned him against the very game playing he got called out on). Even so, Mason growled only just enough to be sure my friend got the point, but took care not to damage his career; and, it helped: he has since improved his approach to court matters. Mason is a class act and the day he retires will be a truly sad day in Montgomery County.

Comment #: MD1161
Rating:3.1
Comments:
I had a divorce matter in front of him. He made it clear that he thought the litigation a waste of his time and appeared disinterested in the proceedings. In the end he made a ruling based on emotion and not on the law.

Comment #: MD194
Rating:7.5
Comments:
Very smart judge. Knows the law and usually applies it correctly. Can be forceful but I would not say rude. Has taken a long time to issue some rulings. It has been difficult scheduling hearings before him in a timely manner.

Comment #: MD117
Rating:8.5
Comments:
One of the best judges I have ever appeared before in over forty years of practice. He is very smart, a hard worker, and he gives the parties and counsel a first rate trial. I give him this rating even though I lost the last case I had before him.