"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Charles B. Burch	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
Contra Costa County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 7.1 - 2 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 4.0 - 15 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. Charles B. Burch

Comments

Other

Comment #: CA46357
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Although the case was settled before the jury selection was finished, I was impressed my Judge Burke’s calm and informative manner. He made sure we all understood the questions being asked of us. Considering it was going to be a 3.5 week case I was glad they were so picky about jurors. If I was the accused, I would like him on my side.

Litigant

Comment #: CA31690
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge is completely lawless. he opened up a case that I dismissed just to put in an order to declare me a vexatious litigant, with no actual evidence to do so. He failed to even look at the facts, and just made his own shit up. He is bought and paid for by the banks!

Other

Comment #: CA22987
Rating:2.0

Comments:
I was a prospective juror and for a full day and into the next day, we heard this judge talk to potential jurors in a tone which was condescending, intrusive (to a woman, what do you call that shirt pattern? And to another who he grilled about why she was uncomfortable with the subject of the case—guns—to the point of tears, and then he said ‘I can’t be your therapist’ and to another man who articulately said he didn’t respect the justice Dept, the judge said as he dismissed him “you are young, and should get rid of your anger—(the man was 30–for the jurors who said they were retired, he asked ‘so what makes you get up in the morning?’ All of these questions seemed irrelevant and intrusive. The female attorney was spoken to in ways that the male was not, and with disrespect. The judge talked way too much and to several of us it felt like he was on a soapbox. I have been a juror in other cases and came away with tremendous respect for the other judges so I know it isn’t correct behavior. As someone wrote below, he was very self-pontificating. The lawyers only got to ask the jurors question in the last hour before the selection was made.

Litigant

Comment #: CA13856
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I have never seen someone so narcissistic, self pontificating and impaired by his own ego like this judge. He sure likes to hear himself talk. He also made jokes about domestic violence on the record when there was domestic abuse in my case. Hilarious. He had an unfortunate and short lived stint in family court. I feel sorry for myself and every other family who had to deal with him.

Litigant

Comment #: CA13123
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
A complete idiot
Take him to the wood shed

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA10185
Rating:10.0

Comments:
As good a trial judge as you will ever find. I would try case after case in front of him if I could. Extremely bright and articulate!

Other

Comment #: CA8203
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Judge Burch runs a tidy court being fair to defendant and plaintiff alike. I found the judge to be professional in every way. If I have to do jury duty again I hope I land I judge Burch's court.

Other

Comment #: CA7122
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I was so lucky to have Judge Burch on my daughter custody case. He is the best Judge in Contra Costa County. Thank you Judge Burch ( from me and my daughter)

Other

Comment #: CA6708
Rating:9.0

Comments:
I had the privilege of sitting for 6 weeks in the Honorable Charles Burch's courtroom as I did my civic duty. Judge Charles Burch had complete control of his courtroom at all times, was highly professional, kept the attorneys in line, was able to explicitly explain difficult concepts to us, was kind yet stern, and his dry sense of humor throughout a very difficult process made the 6 weeks bearable.

I feel very lucky to have been in his courtroom for this time.

Other

Comment #: CA5831
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I witnessed firsthand the ineptitude of his court in a murder trial. he most certainly was biased towards minorities, allowing clear hearsay testimony in, and otherwise failing to uphold his own standard when it comes to theadmission of evidence. instructions to the jury were cut and pasted and so incomplete its a wonder the case hasn't come back yet. keep it up my sis what is wrong with our judicial system right now and should be removed.

Other

Comment #: CA4778
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Not only does this judge exemplify someone who is well-versed in all facets of the law, he genuinely takes time to hear all sides of the case and make decisions based on fact and reason, rather than emotion. His extreme intelligence is obvious in his personal research.

Litigant

Comment #: CA4377
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge needs to be removed. He is the worst manager of any courtroom proceeding that I have ever seen. He is totally uninterested in what is best for the kids. A complete nut job.

Other

Comment #: CA4361
Rating:1.0

Comments:
In the guardianship case of minor child A.Z., Judge Burch allowed the child to be returned to the parents before drug testing results were submitted to the court. He never enforced his own ruling regarding drug testing, and the results of the drug test were never submitted to the court. The parents had a history of criminal behavior that included domestic violence, felony drug use and sales, and child molestation. The child had been with the guardian for over five years, and was taken from the guardian against both the child's and the guardian's wishes. A year and a half later the child is still hoping to be returned to the guardian.

Litigant

Comment #: CA3722
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Burch made a joke about domestic violence ("Oh, I see no one has any bruises -- that's a start!) when coming back to court after a conference between my ex and our lawyers. Mind you, this is a case in which there was a restraining order being debated because of domestic violence.

This judge talks more than any other person in the room, including the lawyers. His written, legal documents are so badly cut and pasted, that often it is entirely obvious he is not paying attention to, or reviewing what he has written.

He ignores factual, submitted evidence to suit his needs and should never be allowed to determine the fate of any child.

Other

Comment #: CA3000
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Extremly insensitive and uncaring sbould not be allowed to decide the fate of children. Is biased against women and minoritys. Has not kept up with the rules of the court and his rulings are whatever strikes his fancy at that time. Twists facts to fit the outcome he wants. Does not enforce his own orders. Likes to hear the sound of his own voice with lengthy time wasting conversations he has with himself. Is unconcerned with the impact his decisions have on the partys in his court. The reasoning behind his decisions are silly, immature, and embarrassing. His logic is that of a child. I am embarrssed to have him sitting in our Superior Court and angry that he thinks we the people don't deserve better.

Other

Comment #: CA2701
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Has not kept up with current laws. His thinking is outdated which makes him appear foolish and dangerous.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA2414
Rating:4.3

Comments:
Judicial activism at its worst. Either unable to comprehend issues or arrogant to the point of disregard for case law, statutes, and facts. Nice guy, terrible judge.

Other

Comment #: CA1723
Rating:3.0

Comments:
He didn't understand the entire case.