"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Gail Dekreon	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
San Francisco County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 3.0 - 9 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 4 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

Add your own rating

E-Mail Address ()

* *

Confirm E-mail Address

* * *

Zip

Occupation

Add a comment only

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

Please type what you see below:

Not an even number!

What others have said about Hon. Gail Dekreon

Comments

Court Staff

Comment #: CA37805
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Her inclinations depended on the case, as it should. I've seen her work hard to help Public Defenders who were not helping their clients adequately and she would advise them. Too often, she would have to request information about the defendant in order to obtain mitigating factors from histories, facts that if discovered can be the difference between a life sentence or 1 year of rehab. Our system is inhumane and has little room for restorative practices. In her court room the Hon. Gail Dekreon was constantly battling a system obsessed with retribution, where an adversarial atmosphere hinders collaboration. She strived to apply the law fairly. We worked for weeks to find a way around some laws that I believe the public no longer agrees with, and neither did she, like the three-strikes rule. I've seen dangerous people get acquitted because the law could not protect the victims. There is also a lower conviction rate in SF compared to other cities. I don't think that's necessarily bad, but I do think we often have juries with political bias. She's an inspiration. She cares about all parties involved, and it gave me hope for our judicial system.

Litigant

Comment #: CA32070
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
A complete idiot, should not be a Judge in the court, it's a disgrace to the city of San Francisco

Other

Comment #: CA26749
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Horrible, full of lies. She does not give a damn care about defendant statements. She only believes in plaintiff.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA26741
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I’m an experienced attorney. I’m not writing this because I lost. Good lawyers lose in court all the time and it does not usually mean a judge is bad. This one is so disappointing because our bench in SF historically has been very good. However over the past 10-15 years, several bad ones have landed on the bench. I experienced ALL of the above comments with this judge. I won’t go into details because I’m concerned Her Honor will come after me. The less I say, the better. DISQUALIFY HER if you feel she won’t be fair. Generally, experienced attorneys don’t disqualify judges just because they lost. However; sometimes a judge has earned it. This one has.

Litigant

Comment #: CA26524
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Complete idiot, had her ridiculous ruling overturned on appeal, unfair, biased, pro-cop, Pre-Emp immediately

Litigant

Comment #: CA21938
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Gail Dekreon is the absolute worst traffic court judge I have ever seen in action. Ever. She is rude and disrespectful to defendants and completely biased towards police officers. She believes everything police officers say without questions, even when they contradict themselves in court. When I showed Gail very clear photo evidence in my case, she herself lied and said she saw something in the photo that just wasn't there. She allowed the police officer to perjure himself despite photo evidence as well. This woman is a poor representation of the judicial system in California and does not belong on the bench. Gail's bid to ascend to the bench was rejected by a former governor, and she was only able to find her way to the robe by running for judge unopposed. If you are unlucky enough to draw Gail, disqualify her with a peremptory challenge.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: CA19989
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This dullard was manipulated into issuing the search warrant on the journalist who reported the sordid circumstances surrounding the death of Jeff Adachi. Now even the police department admits that grounds for the search were non-existent and the search was illegal. But, Gail Dekreon is a brain donor. She is so incompetent that she can't cope with even the most basic legal principles. Hence, she was naturally the top candidate for the manipulators shopping for a judge to act as a tool in their scheme requiring an illegitimate search warrant. Despicable all the way around. .

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA19743
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Quite possibly the worst judge in California. As others have noted, it's not just that she's she arrogant and rude. The real problem is the fact that her decision making is entirely devoid of any legal support or reasoning; she decides completely on whim.

Her "ruling" against my clients were overturned on appeal, but it shouldn't have gotten that far in the first place, and needlessly cost my clients time and money.

Avoid at all costs.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA19141
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Stupid; petty; stubborn; arrogant; rude; impatient; insulting; ill-tempered; and mean to the bone. Other than that...what's not to like?

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA14055
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge has no respect for the law and "rulings" are unencumbered by factual support.

Other

Comment #: CA14054
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge dismisses due process and standard court procedure, issuing edicts unsupported by facts. She only followed the rules if forced to by attorneys.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA7008
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I cannot believe the comments of the other attorney. Judge Dekreon is among the worst at the Hall of Justice. She is extremely pro-cop and prosecution, rude to defendants and defense counsel, terrible on the law and has a horrible temperament. She almost exclusively hears traffic matters now, and I agree - if you ever draw Dekreon, exercise your challenge under CCP 170.6 and disqualify her.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA2891
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I have never met anyone more evenhanded, bright and well intentioned.

Litigant

Comment #: CA2404
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Completely biased towards police officers. Extremely rude and disrespectful to defendants. If you are accused of any traffic violation and draw Gail Dekreon, use a peremptory challenge immediately and get a new judge.