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• Author: Mark Thompson/Elizabeth Smith
• Pages: 945-953

Retired Judges

Retired Judges Hahn935

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HABER, Alan Bruce

Temperament/Demeanor

Attorneys depicted Judge Haber as a generally congenial

and affable person. “He is pleasant.” “He is courteous.” “He is

calm.” “He is patient.” “I really like him.” There were several

lawyers who recounted instances of Judge Haber becoming

irritable. “He can get mad.” “He can be moody.” “When he

gets mad, he’ll really raise his voice and the rest of the calen-

dar will pay for it.’’ “Doesn’t like to be argued with.” “He can

be hard on attorneys.” Judge Haber is also known for not

looking at the attorneys. “He hardly ever looks up at you.” He

does have a sense of humor, but he will keep within limits.

“He likes a good joke.” “He is no b.s. He is forceful.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

Both plaintiff and defense attorneys rated Judge Haber as

an adept and wise judge. “He is a very smart man.” “He is

good and smart.” “He is very smart.”

On Motions

Judge Haber is reported to have an unusual way of run-

ning his court. When he takes the bench (always on time),

he expects all attorneys to be in their seats. This courtroom

generally has a large calendar call, and attorneys must pay

close attention to their calendar call number. As soon as the

preceding case is finished, the next attorney must immedi-

ately stand up and proceed to the bar. “He starts on time.”

“He wants the attorneys to move quickly and get through the

calendar.” “He has 60 cases in an afternoon.” “He is good on

law and motion. He understands how law and motion works.

He works with the law clerks. He has a heavy case load. He

doesn’t have a lot of time.” This judge is considered to be

unstinting about reading all submitted papers and for being

well prepared, and one attorney even expressed sympathy for

him, “I would advise that you keep to the point. Don’t bury

him with too much to read.” “He reads the motion papers.”

“It is important to be prepared in this court. Gets a little

testy if you’re not prepared.” One attorney submitted, “He

is mediocre in law and motion.” He issues tentative rulings

which are said to be well reasoned. “Decisions are based

on true legal discourse.” “Bases rulings mostly on papers.”

“You have to read the tentatives before you appear.” His

reputation for allowing oral argument to proceed is that he

will only listen to argument that he has not already read in

the submitted pleadings. “He allows argument, to a degree.”

“He doesn’t want to hear argument if it can be found in the

papers.” “He will interrupt you during your argument if it is

found in the papers, and he will remind you that your argu-

ment is already in the papers.”

On Trial

This jurist is recommended by both defense and plaintiff

attorneys as a good trial judge who can be tough. “He is a

good judge.” “Take him for trial.” “If you haven’t a case, you

better have a good reason.” “I would use him anytime.” As far

as voir dire, Judge Haber was given average to above-average

reviews. “He is fair on voir dire.” “He is good on voir dire.”

“He is very good with voir dire.” His reviews of handling evi-

dence rulings were slightly better. “He is excellent as far as

evidence.” “Good rulings on evidence.” “Good on evidence.”

“Fair on evidence.”

Continuances

Judge Haber is said to only allow a continuance for what

he feels is an extremely good reason. “Have a damn good

reason for a continuance, such as a heart attack, and he’ll

grant a continuance.” “He won’t continue cases.”

Settlement

There were differing comments on his contribution to the

settlement process. “The settlements were fair. His settle-

ments were good. He did a lot of settlements. He settled a

couple of my cases.” “He is outstanding on settlements.”

“He won’t assist and promote settlements.” “He is terrible

on settlements.”

Proclivities

His reputation is generally for being a fair and impartial

member of the bench. “He has no bias.” “No, he does not

have any bias.” “He is unbiased.”

Summary

Be prepared and only argue on points not found in the

papers. Read the tentative rulings. Do not argue with him,

and be cautious if he is gets angry. Do not rely on him to set-

tle your case or help you settle your case. Do not contest him

for trial. Make sure you know where you are on the docket

and be prepared to jump up when it is your turn. Do not ask

for a continuance unless it is for a very good reason. (01Z)

HAHN, Dale A.

Temperament/Demeanor

Interviewees seem to appreciate Judge Hahn’s positive

courtroom demeanor. They described it as “very profession-

al,” “relaxed” and “great.” Other comments included: “He’s

composed,” “He’s a truly nice man. Very, very reasonable,

amenable and practical,” “I really like him” and “He’s profes-

sional and very friendly.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

Judge Hahn seems to have impressed interviewees with

his strong legal knowledge. Half of them said, “It’s above

average” compared to that of his peers. One lawyer said, “It’s

excellent.” Another attorney gave a more precise response

when he opined, “It’s average in civil law and excellent in

criminal law.”

On Motions

All of the interviewees said Judge Hahn is courteous to

everyone who enters his courtroom. In fact, some of them

either said, “He’s very polite” or “He’s extremely polite.”

Judge Hahn was also praised for always taking the bench on

time. Interviewees seem to like the way Judge Hahn manages

his courtroom. Two of them said his style is “between formal

and relaxed.” Other responses included: “It’s relaxed,” “It’s

fairly flexible. He keeps things moving” and “It’s relaxed yet

orderly.” Every litigator either used the word “professional”

or “comfortable” when describing Judge Hahn’s courtroom

atmosphere. In fact, half of them used both words and clear-

ly indicated that they like appearing in front of him.

On Trial

Almost all of the interviewees said Judge Hahn listens

closely to their arguments and keeps an open mind. As two

of them put it, “Yes, [he listens] absolutely” and “Yes, very

much so.” Only one attorney disagreed with the others and

said this jurist does not always listen attentively. Most of

those who had tried jury trials in front of this judge praised

his ability to interact well with the jurors. As one of them

put it, “He does very well with the jury.” The one litigator

who disagreed with the others said, “No, [he doesn’t do]

particularly [well with jurors]. He gives too many examples

and just takes too long.” When asked if Judge Hahn will

seriously consider attorney requests for special jury instruc-

tions, all of the interviewees responded in the affirmative.

Comments included: “Yes, He takes the time to carefully

review your requests,” “For sure” and “He’s about average”

when it comes to accommodating lawyers in this manner.

Most of the interviewees praised this judge for handling his

sentencing duties in a very thoughtful and impartial man-

ner. Comments included: “He’s pretty fair,” “He takes a

well-balanced approach to sentencing” and “He’s fair.” Those

who disagreed with the others said, “He’s tough” and “He’s

harsh” when sentencing defendants. Half of the interviewees

said Judge Hahn moves his cases at an “appropriate” pace.

Two of them even said he moves cases “a little faster” than

the other jurists. One of these last two lawyers added, “He’s

pretty efficient.” Another attorney just said cases move at an

“average” pace through Judge Hahn’s courtroom.

Continuances

All of the interviewees said Judge Hahn is fair about

granting continuances based upon good cause. Comments

included: “[You have an] average” chance of getting one,

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