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| Author | Mark Thompson/Elizabeth Smith |
| Pages | 337-396 |
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Profiles Haight327
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HAIGHT, Lois
Temperament/Demeanor
Most interviewees seem to like Judge Haight’s courtroom
temperament. Several said, “She’s thoughtful and reserved,”
“It’s good” and “It’s somewhat formal.” Another attorney gave
a somewhat mixed opinion and said, “It’s usually okay—but
she can be abrupt at times.” One final litigator complained,
“She can be overbearing.”
Intelligence/Knowledge
Every interviewee said Judge Haight’s legal acumen is
either “average” or “above average.” One of them qualified his
comment by saying, “In general, it’s average. [But] it’s above
average when she’s handling juvenile law cases.”
On Motions
Two interviewees who like Judge Haight’s courtroom
management style said, “It’s definitely formal” and “It’s
somewhat formal in the courtroom. But she handles a lot in
her chambers.” The more critical lawyers opined, “[Her style]
varies. It’s usually somewhere between informal and strict,”
“It’s somewhat strict and formal” and “It’s very strict. Judge
Haight stays in complete control of her courtroom.” Most of
the interviewees said Judge Haight is polite to all who appear
in front of her. However, two lawyers disagreed. One of them
said she’s “not always” polite and the other said her cour-
teousness “varies.” Almost all of the attorneys said Judge
Haight usually takes the bench on time. Only one member of
the bar disagreed and said she isn’t always prompt.
On Trial
Only a minority of the interviewees said Judge Haight
always listens closely to their arguments and keeps an open
mind. The remaining attorneys opined, “[She listens] most
of the time—but not always,” “No [she doesn’t do this]” and
“[She] probably [does this] less than others.” Some litigators
described Judge Haight’s courtroom atmosphere as “profes-
sional.” Those who were less pleased opined, “It’s somewhat
tense,” “[The atmosphere] varies” and “It’s professional but
sometimes tense.” Interviewees seem basically pleased with
the way Judge Haight moves cases through her courtroom.
Nearly all of them said she moves matters at either an “aver-
age” or “appropriate” pace. One final attorney said Judge
Haight moves cases “faster” than her peers. When it comes
to sentencing, two lawyers said Judge Haight is “fair” and
“fair and reasonable.” Another litigator provided a somewhat
mixed opinion and said, “She’s pretty firm but can be lenient
when she believes the facts require it.” The two more critical
lawyers said, “Judge Haight is “strict” and “unpredictable”
when handling her sentencing duties.
Continuances
Judge Haight seems to respond in an appropriate manner
to requests for continuances. Nearly all of the interviewees
said you have an “average” chance of obtaining one from
her once good cause has been shown. One lawyer even said,
“She’s more likely” to grant such a request than her peers.
Settlement
More than half of the litigators said Judge Haight doesn’t
get very involved in trying to settle cases. As two of them put
it, “She stays reserved in this area.” The other lawyer said,
“She leaves all of the negotiating to the attorneys.” However,
others disagreed and said Judge Haight takes an active role
in helping to settle their cases. Their comments included:
“She’s proactive and has strong negotiating skills” and
“Judge Haight encourages discussions and displays strong
skills when she becomes involved.”
Proclivities
A majority of the interviewees said they are pleased with
Judge Haight’s overall impartiality. Comments included:
“She always rules in the children’s best interests,” “She’s
fair” and “She’s impartial.” Nevertheless, two attorneys were
less complimentary and said, “Judge Haight is unpredict-
able” and “She leans toward the prosecution.”
Summary
Additional comments include: “Judge Haight can be force-
ful at times” and “She tends to be swayed by the equities of
some circumstances.” Although several lawyers were a bit
critical of Judge Haight, most of them said her legal knowl-
edge is acceptable and praised the way she moves matters
through her courtroom. (01G)
HAIGHT, Raymond L.
Temperament/Demeanor
Most of the attorneys who commented on Judge Haight
said they like him. “I enjoy appearing in front of him. He
makes me laugh on occasion,” said one. Another said he
has “a good disposition.” A third interviewee said, “He is an
awfully nice fellow. He is a former DA. He is a very patient
fellow. He is very patient with people that come before him,
and that is a good sign.” One interviewee, who has known
him since before he became a judge, had a different opin-
ion. “I have some problems with his personality. He can be
real sarcastic and very clubby,” said the attorney, who has
defended clients in capital cases and who noted that Judge
Haight, before he was appointed to the bench, “was in the
death penalty unit for years and years.”
Intelligence/Knowledge
A deputy public defender who worked in Judge Haight’s
courtroom on a daily basis for several years said, “I think he
is a very bright guy.” Another defense attorney called him
“very smart and very knowledgeable and very fair.” A third
interviewee said, “He is knowledgeable about the law.” Even
the attorney who called him sarcastic and clubby agreed that
Judge Haight is “very, very bright.”
On Motions
A criminal defense attorney who has known Judge Haight
for years and has appeared before him in a number of cases
said, “I think he will make a tough call” on a motion, even if
his ruling goes against the prosecution. “He has credentials
that are good enough that he doesn’t have to worry about the
DA accusing him of being soft on crime or something because
he was a DA for many years and had a good reputation. So I
think he is willing to make tough decisions.” Another defense
attorney agreed that his rulings are “very fair.” But interview-
ees were not unanimous in praising his rulings. One of the two
interviewees who were highly critical of the judge said, “We are
coming in there and asking for something and it’s whatever
the DA wants, no matter what goes on. He will take something
over a week because he didn’t do his work and hasn’t read it. I
don’t care for him. I’m going to paper him from now on.”
On Trial
Four criminal defense attorneys who have tried cases in
Judge Haight’s court were impressed with his skills as a
trial judge. “It is an absolute pleasure to try a case in front
of him,” said one. “He is an excellent judge. He is fair and
he is accommodating to counsel, but at the same time, he
keeps the case moving. He has good control of his courtroom
but he accommodates counsel when counsel’s requests are
reasonable.” A second interviewee said, “I like him. I have
had a trial in front of him. He lets you put on your case and
he has a great sense of humor, which helps a lot when it
is so stressful.” A third attorney added that Judge Haight
“has kind of a nice common touch. He can talk to people in
a way that impresses me. My opinion of a judge sometimes
is influenced by the way they treat people who are in pro
per. If a judge wants to shout at me, that’s one thing. I am
more or less a grown up and I’m being paid to be there, and
if that’s what the judge wants to do, that’s okay. But I don’t
like it when judges shout at people who are in the system
either involuntarily or are on their own, so to speak.” Judge
Haight is especially accommodating towards in pro pers,
said the attorney, who explained, “I have never seen Judge
Haight take an ordinary person to task for something they
didn’t understand.” A fourth interviewee with trial experience
before Judge Haight said, “I am fine with him. He is a hard-
working guy. He moves a lot of cases along.”
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328Hall California Judge Reviews
Continuances
Judge Haight will grant a continuance, even though “it is
not his favorite thing,” one interviewee said. “But if you have
a reason, he is not adamantly opposed. He is not strictly
opposed to a continuance, for example, if there’s some inves-
tigation that needs to be done or the client gets an offer and
they want time to talk to their family or a priest about it. He
will give somebody a week to think about what they’re going
to do on the case. In my mind, he has been quite reasonable
about that.” Another interviewee said, “He is very accom-
modating to counsel, as long as counsel is being reasonable.
But he is not going to let you continue the case if you do not
have good cause to do so.”
Settlement
Interviewees who have settled cases in Judge Haight’s
court said he is effective in helping work out dispositions. “I
think he is a guy who tries to achieve consensus, you might
say. He likes to settle cases,” said one criminal defense attor-
ney. “He is experienced. He knows what cases are worth. He
is easy to negotiate with and really facilitates settlement of
cases.” Another said, “I would say he takes an active role
in trying to get dispositions. He wants to know why we are
doing this and what can be done to settle that, or do we need
to try it. He will make his decision quickly, but he is always
interested in what’s the disposition. In a criminal context,
he is interested in resolving cases, either through a deal or
through trial and he will participate in an active way. Judge
Haight will also tell you what offer he will make if you plead
to him. In that sense, he actively participates. He will say if
the case is charged as a felony and he thinks it is really a
misdemeanor, or in a case that is a misdemeanor, he will
tell you if he thinks it should be a felony. So you can get the
benefit of his thinking on a case, and that’s a good thing from
my point of view.”
Proclivities
Two of the criminal defense attorneys who were inter-
viewed about Judge Haight had staunchly negative opinions
of him, centered on the notion that he gave their clients short
shrift. “He is kind of an ol’ boy. He adheres to the powers
that be,” said an attorney who has known him since he was
a prosecutor and added that he “would rather not” say more
about the judge. Another attorney said, “I don’t like him at
all. He is unprepared. He doesn’t do his work. He seems
lazy. He lets the DA run the courtroom.” In some cases, the
attorney added, Judge Haight has shown “absolutely no
consideration” for defendants. “Who cares if they’re poor. It
doesn’t matter,” the interviewee said in characterizing Judge
Haight’s attitude. All of the other criminal defense attorneys
who were interviewed about Judge Haight portrayed him
in an entirely different light—as a judge who, as one put
it, “tries hard to do the right thing” and “is a good judge.”
Another said he “runs his courtroom, but he is reasonable.”
As for the notion that the prosecutors call the shots, the
attorney added, “That was absolutely not the case in my
case.” A third interviewee with a favorable view of Judge
Haight said, “He is kind of a tireless guy. He works real hard.
He is a good judge. He understands reality.” The attorney
who complimented Judge Haight for bringing to the bench a
“common touch” and praised him for the empathy he shows
for litigants who are representing themselves added, “If they
make a promise and don’t keep it, he can be stern about
that. But he certainly is sensitive to the individual who is up
there and is sort of overwhelmed by being in court and doing
the best they can. He is conscious of the difference between
somebody with a bar number and somebody without one.”
Summary
Judge Haight is very bright and very experienced. Though
there were a few dissenters who complained that he is some-
what insensitive and clubby, most of the attorneys who were
interviewed about him had quite the opposite impression,
describing him as a judge who is a pleasure to appear before
and who is personable and empathetic towards individu-
als appearing before him without counsel. He knows what
a case is worth, and doesn’t worry about being tagged by
prosecutors as pro-defense, having been a prosecutor him-
self for years. So he will make “tough calls” to grant defense
motions, and will give indicated sentences to facilitate settle-
ments, according to interviewees, most of whom rated him
as a very good judge. (10J)
HALL, Stephen M.
Temperament/Demeanor
Interviewees said they like Judge Hall’s courtroom tem-
perament. Comments included, “He’s very pleasant,” “It’s
very good,” “It’s somewhat formal” and “It’s pleasant.” One
attorney said, “Judge Hall is quite reserved.”
Intelligence/Knowledge
Nearly every litigator praised Judge Hall’s legal acumen.
They said, “Judge Hall is very smart,” his legal knowledge is
“at the top,” “It’s very high,” and “It’s good. He’s thorough in
his research.” One attorney gave Judge Hall a mixed review:
“His knowledge is very good when handling criminal cases
and average when hearing civil matters.”
On Motions
Members of the Bar seem to like Judge Hall’s courtroom
management style. They said, “It’s efficient,” “It’s formal but
not strict,” “It’s somewhat formal,” “It’s very pleasant and
efficient” and “It’s formal and pretty efficient.” Most attorneys
said this judge is “polite” or “very polite” to all who appear
in his courtroom. One lawyer even said Judge Hall is “abso-
lutely” polite. Every litigator said Judge Hall usually takes
the bench on time. In fact, one lawyer said, “Judge Hall even
takes the bench a bit early.”
On Trial
When asked if Judge Hall listens carefully to their argu-
ments and keeps an open mind, interviewees generally said,
“Yes.” One lawyer said, “Judge Hall listens very closely and
keeps an open mind.” However, others said, “It’s difficult to
change his mind” and “Judge Hall has his own bias toward
the prosecution in criminal cases.” Interviewees said they
like Judge Hall’s courtroom atmosphere. They opined, “His
courtroom atmosphere is professional,” “It’s pleasant and
comfortable” and “It’s very professional and not tense at all.”
The one attorney who complained said that Judge Hall’s
courtroom atmosphere is “a little stuffy but comfortable.”
A majority of the interviewees said Judge Hall moves cases
at an “average” pace. Others said his pace is “appropri-
ate and efficient” and “He moves matters faster than the
other judges, but you get enough time to argue your case.”
Lawyers seem to be impressed with the way Judge Hall
interacts with jurors. In fact, one of them said, “He interacts
very well with them.” Every responding attorney also said
this justice is reasonable about granting requests for special
jury instructions. When it comes to sentencing defendants,
only one lawyer said Judge Hall is “average” in this area.
Others opined, “He’s a little unpredictable,” “He’s moderate
to harsh,” “Judge Hall is tough” and “He’s harsh.”
Continuances
Most interviewees said “you have an average chance” of
getting Judge Hall to grant a continuance.
Settlement
Attorneys said Judge Hall is “proactive” when it comes
to settlement negotiations and he has “average” negotiat-
ing skills. One attorney said, “Judge Hall stays somewhat
reserved but has average negotiating skills.”
Proclivities
One litigator said Judge Hall’s rulings and decisions are
“extremely fair.” Unfortunately, most of the other lawyers
shared less positive views. Two interviewees opined, “Judge
Hall leans slightly toward the D.A.” Others said, “Judge Hall
is somewhat biased toward the D.A.” and “I intend to try and
avoid being assigned to him for any future criminal cases.”
Summary
Lawyers seem to appreciate Judge Hall’s demeanor, legal
knowledge, courtroom management style and ability to
interact well with jurors. However, many of the interviewees
questioned the overall fairness of Judge Hall’s rulings and
decisions. (01Z)
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Profiles Hamilton329
HALLAHAN, Maureen F.
Temperament/Demeanor
Judge Hallahan “has an excellent demeanor. She gives
good service to the clients. She’s very no-nonsense. When you
go in there, you come out feeling like your case was heard,”
said one of the attorneys interviewed about her. Another said,
“From a judicial temperament standpoint, I would give her
five stars.” A third interviewee said, “She is superb. She is
good to the lawyers.” A fourth interviewee said, “She has an
incredible amount of patience in Family Court.”
Intelligence/Knowledge
Judge Hallahan is “knowledgeable” and is “very intel-
ligent,” two interviewees said. Other attorneys who have
appeared before her in family cases noted that she had little
background in that area but has been able to overcome her
gaps in knowledge of the law in her years in Family Court.
“She is very bright,” said one, who added, “If there is any
downside, it is that she is still feeling her way in learn-
ing family law. But she is intelligent enough to catch up
quickly.” A fourth interviewee said, “She’s smart. She runs a
great courtroom. She is just the best. She knows family law
very well.” A fifth interviewee said, “She is brilliant in the
work that she does and in the amount of work that she can
do. She is relatively new to family law but you would think
that she has been doing it for her entire career. That came
from just rolling up her sleeves and learning it.” One other
interviewee said, “She is an excellent judge in every respect.
When she came to family law, I don’t think she had any
background in the area, but she made a real effort to learn
it. She is obviously very smart and learns quickly.”
On Motions
Judge Hallahan “knows her stuff and, I think, makes
very good decisions,” said one interviewee. Another said, “I
honestly did not agree with every decision she made, but
she gave all the parties a fair hearing and made what she
considered to be the right decision in all cases. I may have
questioned one or two of the decisions, but the vast majority
of them were dead on,” said the attorney, who added, “She
had that ability to leave you thinking that she actually lis-
tened to what everybody said.”
On Trial
One attorney with trial experience before Judge Hallahan
said, “She is good in trial. She listens. She does a good job.”
Another interviewee said, “She is absolutely wonderful in
trial. She is quiet. She listens, she makes thoughtful deci-
sions. She is good in explaining the basis for decisions. She
is just an excellent judge.” A third interviewee who has tried
many cases in her court over the years said she is an all-
around excellent judge who is “really engaged” in trial and
communicative in a helpful way. “The more the judge says,
the more I think I can tell what they are thinking and where
they’re going,” the attorney said.
Continuances
One attorney interviewed about Judge Hallahan said, “She
is pretty liberal on continuances, in my experience.” Another
said, “She was pretty good on them,” emphasizing the past
tense. “But the court changed the policy—and since she was
presiding judge, the policy is probably hers—basically saying
that you can’t get one anymore,” that attorney added.
Settlement
Judge Hallahan is “settlement oriented,” said one attor-
ney who explained, “She would rather have you work it out
than go to trial. But in settlement conferences down here,
we don’t usually use judges. You have volunteer attorneys
basically sitting as settlement conference judges.” A second
interviewee, who noted that she was, at the time, the fam-
ily department’s settlement conference judge, said she “is
very good about promoting settlements.” A third interviewee
said, “Of course, she tries to get people to settle cases. Most
family judges do. She will ask the parties to go outside and
meet and confer and try to settle their cases, because she
knows that if the parties arrive at a conclusion themselves,
it is more likely to be lasting than if it is imposed on them
by the judge.”
Proclivities
All of the attorneys interviewed about Judge Hallahan had
high praise for her competence and integrity. “She is marvel-
ous. She is one of the better judges I have run across,” one
family attorney said. Another family lawyer said she is “fair”
and is “one of my favorite judges.” A third interviewee said,
“She is a wonderful person. She really cares about doing a
good job. I don’t have anything negative to say about her.”
A fourth attorney who has litigated a number of family law
cases in her court said, “The decisions that she has made
have been wise, and not just within the law. She tries to
eliminate conflict between the parties. She also tries to lis-
ten to self-represented people, which can be really frustrat-
ing. She makes sure to let them know that they have been
heard, but she still sticks to the law.” That attorney added
that Judge Hallahan has no predisposition in favor of either
side in family law cases. “I can’t even imagine that she would
have any biases one way or the other,” the attorney said. A
fifth interviewee said, “I have worked with her through the
bar, and she seems to care a lot and really is working hard
in this extremely difficult environment of administering the
courts with less and less money each year. So I have respect
for her.” One other interviewee who has appeared before
Judge Hallahan in many cases said, “She also has a pretty
rare combination of being both compassionate and tough,
and knowing when to be one or the other. A lot of people are
compassionate on the bench when they should be tough and
vice versa, but she seems to have that down pretty good as
to when to play either of those cards.”
Summary
Judge Hallahan has excellent judicial demeanor, attor-
neys said. She was smart and diligent enough to rather
quickly overcome her gaps in knowledge of family law to
become a highly regarded family law judge. She is excellent
in trial, said several interviewees, who noted that she listens
carefully to both sides and then fully explains her decisions.
She knows when to be compassionate and when to be tough,
said one interviewee. Attorneys interviewed about her had
high praise for her competence and integrity, calling her
“marvelous” and “absolutely wonderful.” (13A)
HAMILTON, Jeffrey Y., Jr.
Temperament/Demeanor
Several interviewees described Judge Hamilton’s demean-
or as “very professional,” “very pleasant” and “appropriate.”
Other comments included: “Judge Hamilton’s temperament
is very friendly,” “It’s very good” and “He’s accommodating
and ... smiles a lot. We need more like him.”
Intelligence/Knowledge
Nearly every interviewee said Judge Hamilton’s legal acumen
is “above average.” Another lawyer opined, “He’s very intelligent.”
On Motions
Interviewees seem to like the way Judge Hamilton man-
ages his courtroom. They said his style is “very efficient,”
“appropriate,” “very ‘hands on’” and “relaxed. He enjoys
being a judge.” Almost every lawyer interviewed said Judge
Hamilton is “very polite” to all who appear in his courtroom.
Another attorney basically agreed but said, “Judge Hamilton
is usually cordial but he can become justifiably irritated at
times.” Attorneys said this jurist usually takes the bench
on time. As one litigator put it, “He’s about average” when it
comes to starting on time.
On Trial
Every interviewee said Judge Hamilton listens closely to
lawyers’ arguments and keeps an open mind. One attorney
even opined, “He listens very closely.” Interviewees described
Judge Hamilton’s courtroom atmosphere as “professional,”
“attorney friendly,” “pleasant and appropriate,” “good” and
“professional and comfortable.” Most litigators said Judge
Hamilton moves matters along at either an “average” or
“appropriate” pace. One lawyer described the pace as “fine.”
Nearly all of the attorneys interviewed said Judge Hamilton
is capable of handling complex criminal cases. However, two
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