Comment #: NY13792
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Retired Judge John Leventhal had been elevated to the Appellate Division - Second Department in 2008 when, a few years later - while on that Court - a 1995 case in which he was trial judge was reversed by the Federal District Court, overruling a 2006 Second Department affirmance of resentencing. A few weeks later Leventhal released an alleged serial child molester on appeal bail on the purported strength of an audio recording showing the molester had been supposedly the target of an extortion scheme by his victim; said audio recording (and theory) the DA's office later held was “ambiguous at best” - inter alia, did not justify the extraordinary grant of the child molester's appeal bail(thus demonstrating that Leventhal’s granting was appeal bail was flawed [to put in nicely]). Apparently, this enabled - where the Second Circuit later reversed the District Court in the 1995 case’s resentencing appeal - Judge Leventhal to save face (as a junior Appellate judge) with his Second Department colleagues. To repay the favor, he again helped the molester's lawyer, when an appellate penal with Leventhal as justice presiding, reversed a homicide case on an error that lawyer (who was the homicide defendant's trial counsel) may well have concocted with the trial judge and, in any event, failed to preserve (the appellate lawyer for that case didn't even argue trial lawyer's ineffectiveness for not preserving the obvious error - imagine that). A few months later Leventhal joined that lawyer's law firm. Doesn’t seem very Your Honor(able), does it?

Comment #: NY10793
Rating:3.5
Comments:
Judge Leventhal appears to be a sharp lawyer but like many judges in the Second Department he is a truly terrible judge. He reaches the result he wants regardless of the facts and the law. He seems to believe he knows enough about the cases before him to reach conclusions not argued by counsel on the basis of his misunderstandings of the facts. The vague opinions issued by his Court allow him to cite cases that in fact contradict his rulings. Make no mistake about it: Judge Leventhal intentionally disregards the law in his decisions. It is judges like him that make appellate practice in the Second Department a crap shoot.

Comment #: NY5709
Rating:10.0
Comments:
He is very strict wen he tells you he is going to do he will do but with compassion. If all the judges were like him we would not the backups on court that we have. One of the highest understanding judge. I would not be surprised if he ends up as a judge on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Comment #: NY5708
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
He is lazy and has others do his work.

Comment #: NY4634
Rating:9.7
Comments:
Wonderful, reasonable, brilliant and a judge with heart. I was a guardianship attorney and had the privilege of appearing in front of Justice Leventhal on many matters. He is truly a gentleman and a scholar.

Comment #: NY1920
Rating:10.0
Comments:
A jude that does what he tells you he will do if he tells you do not do something and you do it he will tell you what will happen to you an that is what will happen to you He is one of the best and fair judge I have ever know

Comment #: NY145
Rating:6.6
Comments:
The intelligent and pugnacious Judge Leventhal has a refreshingly down-to-earth manner, but his prosecution biases are manifestly evident.

Comment #: NY133
Rating:9.4
Comments:
This judge is a brilliant jurist -- a real scholar who takes the time to get it right. His opinions are akin to Federal decisions in their thoroughness. He is a judge who wants to see justice served without fear or favor to either side.