"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Beth A. R. McGowen	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
Santa Clara County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 2.0 - 9 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 9 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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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. Beth A. R. McGowen

Comments

Litigant

Comment #: CA54372
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Beth concealed disqualification of three disqualified crooks ("judges") [Redacted by Ed.]
Those disqualified crooks committed massive severe repetitive fraud on court, but were never officially disqualified, and Judicial Council was never notified of their disqualifications.
I was ARRESTED on invalid order of disqualified crook [Redacted by Ed.] Disqualified crook [Redacted by Ed.] ordered my ARREST, PERMANENT RESTRAINING ORDER against my son, and DENIED MY REQUEST TO NULLIFY ALL ORDERS OF T[Redacted by Ed.]

Beth McGowen not only refused to disqualify [Redacted by Ed.] , she refused to assist with rescheduling hearing 06/17/2024 - therefore allowing disqualified [Redacted by Ed.] to severely retaliate to me by ordering my arrest and permanent restraining order against me.

And then Beth, abusing Vexatious Litigant prefiling order, denied my notice of appeal - making those retaliatory orders non-appealable.

[Redacted by Ed.]
Reach me on constantine.mars@gmail.com - let's work together on cleaning court [Redacted by Ed.]

Other

Comment #: CA54083
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Thanks to this biased, unprofessional, rude,UNETHICAL, sorry excuse for a "judge", my child was placed in the hands of a stranger and taken away from the ONLY family my child has known since birth. I haven't seen my child for 4 years because of this scum. My side was never heard her decision was made without hearing anything I had to say. She repeatedly cut me off, was disrespectful and gave me ZERO. chance to speak while she mocked and belittled me before telling me to shut up and proceeded to deny my right to be heard. The parent who she favored was not only absent for the entirety of my childs life but, was also not on the birth certificate, had no proof of paternity, lied under oath also without any proof of the allegations being made but is now (and has been since McGowens orders) refused any contact between my child and I. If my child even tries to make contact with me, they are punished. This judge doesn't even deserve a "1" she's a big fat ZERO.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA32671
Rating:3.5

Comments:
not thorough or complete in her evaluation of an issue presented. She is biased towards a set of 20+ years experienced family law attorneys in that she accepts as gospel whatever he says in court without questioning or proof presentation. Her lack of thoroughness in writing up her own trial rulings creates thousands of dollars of waste of attorney fees while she smiles at her favorite attorney in court (wink, wink) Competence in accuracy is abysmal. Shocking but a gravy train for attorneys

Litigant

Comment #: CA27649
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge McGowen is completely biased toward men. She treated my children and I with such disdain in HER courtroom. Whereas, the father (whom I have DVRO against) was treated with the utmost respect. She was belittling, intimidating, and downright rude.

She also displayed an obvious personal relationship with opposing counsel, even addressing him on a first-name basis.

Women and children stay away from her courtroom as you will not be treated lawfully.

Other

Comment #: CA26932
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Absolutely unprofessional, abusive, pro-abuser, lazy, not punctual, favors men- flippant, emotional. Her demeanor changes at every hearing- she doesn’t ready anything before hand and makes decisions based upon how she’s feeling that day. Quite honestly she appears to be in the wrong career- or perhaps landed her career in family court because of her demeanor.

Litigant

Comment #: CA26437
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Biased towards man! Screaming in the court room. hates pro-se litigants

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA25312
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The worst judge you could ever ask for. Biased towards men, rude- disrespectful and ill-equipped in the courtroom. She’s intelligent but a complete power monger and doesn’t take time to evaluate the cases before her. She’s lazy, misinformed and a poor excuse for a judge

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA23762
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Her arrogance and incompetence is beyond imagination. She does not follow the law. She does not care about people. She shows no empathy and she destroy families with minor children. Ironically, even she's a woman herself, she bullies women, especially those innocent and vulnerable ones. I feel so sorry for those women.

Other

Comment #: CA23707
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is the worst judge I've ever had to witness. She didn't read the DV reports that were submitted by my daughter who has been abused for many years. She "assumed" the children were telling the truth even though the abusive father had them two weeks to manipulate them before going to court. She not only gave the children to the abusive Father but she didn't bother on follow-up meetings to see how things have gotten even worse. She has destroyed our family and unfortunately, we can't get another judge!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA23623
Rating:2.2

Comments:
She has a terrible judicial temperament, she is rude to litigants and attorneys, she is unprepared, and unaware of the law. She is one of the worst judges I've appeared before in my 19 years of practice as an attorney in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and Alameda. I've never reviewed a judge online until today. I've had several cases where she was the judge and she was horrific in each. Destroying people's lives one case at a time.

Litigant

Comment #: CA23502
Rating:1.0

Comments:
"Judge" McGowen is beyond the pale - both as a judge and as a human being. She takes great pleasure in belittling, threatening and intimidating women, especially self-represented litigants. She ignores the law and the facts and wrecks havoc with childrens' lives simply because she can, and clearly because exerting power brings her great pleasure. She is cold, heartless and flat out wrong the majority of the time - misquoting court appointed professionals and always taking Father's side. In fact, I've seen her make arguments that benefit Father when Father's own counsel fell short. She will stop at nothing to support her own narrative of the case including making orders that are draconian and lack foundation. I suspect she believes Trump is a good guy and would cozy up to Putin if given the opportunity.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA22515
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I have spent hours sitting in Family Law Court observing Judge McGowen.

She is a bully and an abuser. She ignores the law and the facts. As is the case with so many personality-disordered individuals, her tactics are actually unsophisticated: gaslighting, projection, deflection and stonewalling. That does not make them any less painful and devastating to the victims of her breach of judicial duty and any less appalling for the public to watch.

In her kangaroo court, she appoints minor's counsel to (transparently) further her agenda and the agenda of the abuser (rather than the Best Interests Of The Child).

She really, really wants women and children to shut up about the pain of dealing with various types of domestic abuse (even on-going abuse occurring contemporaneously). And absolutely nothing will sway her from her 1950s-type belief that the best course of action is for everyone involved to simply pretend that all is well, despite reality. Family Law Court is about soothing the bruised egos of abusers, not encouraging survivors to escape abuse and live healthy lives.

As a female, I have observed that females such as Judge McGowen are every bit as biased and incompetent as the worst males on the bench---perhaps going completely overboard to prove they are part of the "good ol' boys" club. But, as a woman and a mother myself, I am so sickened by her malice and viciousness that I must shower and take to my bed for hours after spending time in her courtroom. She is that toxic.

Litigant

Comment #: CA22513
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is absolutely not worthy of being a judge. Does not know basic law, and is prejudiced against women and children.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA20504
Rating:1.5

Comments:
Judge McGowen is the worst judge I have dealt with in 30 years of practicing law. She does not know the law, does not know the local rules, takes advantage of litigants, is biased, and can't seem to understand that she is a judge, not an attorney advocating for one side or the other. She is also rude and demeaning to litigants and attorneys alike.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA20439
Rating:1.8

Comments:
The most blatantly partisan excuses for a judge that I have ever seen in 11 years of family law. McGowen SCREAMS at self-represented parties on a regular basis, clearly can't control her temper, gets overly hostile if asked for clarification and persistently shows the White Man Bias for which Santa Clara County courts are becoming infamous. Mothers are treated harshly in her courtroom while fathers, even abusers, are coddled. "Judge" McGowen brings shame to the entire court system.

Court Staff

Comment #: CA13971
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is biased, temperamental, nonprofessional, acting like a spoiled brat in court while acting as a judge to make the most important decisions for families and young children. I have seen her acting like the abuser's attorney, scream at the victim in court for three hours, as if she was the abuser's confidant. She is the abuser herself. It was a sad day for the judicial system.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA12065
Rating:3.1

Comments:
Political?? Client and I from slightly out of town. Client was worried about the obvious coziness between opposing counsel -- very local --and judge. I assured him that there was nothing to worry about. Then we started trial. Surprised that a big firm would allow a first year associate to try the case without the partner present. Very surprised when -- half way thru trial -- judge told said associate that he would be preparing the statement of decision. Surprised when judge excluded opposing side's sworn document listing assets he had just testified he didn't have. Surprised when judge refused to stay orders pending appeal even though required by law. Fortunately, was able to obtain ex parte relief from another judge when Mcgowan was on vacation. Other things happened that I don't dare put in print. I've been hometown before but never ever anything like this. By the way, my friends in the DA's office all raved about her, which now I see means she goes with the prevailing wind. If you're not well connected in the area, stay away.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA11552
Rating:2.8

Comments:
As a family law Judge, without question one of the top three worst I have seen. Doesn't know the facts and doesn't care that she doesn't know the facts. Arrogant and lacks the integrity to be curious about the facts because it would be too much work. Obviously someone who became a Judge to "retire" on the bench.