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• Author: Mark Thompson/Elizabeth Smith
• Pages: 1017-1028

Retired Judges

Retired Judges Walker1007

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WALDRIP, Stuart T.

Temperament/Demeanor

Judge Waldrip is generally viewed as a kind and genial

judge who is very polite to defendants and considerate to

attorneys. Comments from defense counsel included, “He’s

patient, understanding and fair to both sides.” “He’s courte-

ous.” “Everything I’ve heard about Judge Waldrip has been

positive.” One attorney volunteered, “Let’s just say that if I

was ever a judge I hope I’d be as good as Judge Waldrip.”

Another said, “He’s first rate [and] has a good demeanor.”

Another stated, “He’s as gracious as any judge I’ve been

before, almost courtly.” Prosecutors described him as “obvi-

ously a nice man” and “patient, thoughtful and courteous”

and said, “with defendants he is respectful; with attorneys,

cordial.” Both prosecutors and defense counsel thought

Waldrip was by nature a careful and thorough judge, and

both indicated that this can result in a slow trial in his

courtroom. “If there’s anything I’d say that could be viewed

as a negative, it is that he’s slow, but that’s just a result of

his thoroughness.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

Attorneys who defend and those who prosecute in Judge

Waldrip’s courtroom agreed that he is a “very intelligent

judge.” “He’s an intelligent man with a lot of life experience.”

“He’s knowledgeable and continues to improve as he gains

experience.” “Basically, he’s very knowledgeable.” However,

Judge Waldrip sits on assigned felony trials and several

attorneys felt that his lack of experience in a criminal prac-

tice shows in the courtroom. “He has some things to learn

about criminal law, but he is willing to open a law book and

read cases to learn the law.” “He’s eager to learn and willing

to admit when he doesn’t know the answer. Then he finds

out what the answer is.” “He will admit it if he doesn’t know

something.” “For someone who came from a civil practice, he

seems to have picked up criminal [law] right away.”

On Motions

Judge Waldrip is generally viewed as a judge who comes

to court prepared. “He’s read the materials. He’s prepared.”

“He will do his own research.” “He takes time to really do

motions.” “He just ruled against me on a motion. Still, I think

he is generally very good.”

On Trial

Attorneys with substantial experience in Judge Waldrip’s

courtroom had some good things to say about his handling

of trials. “He runs an orderly courtroom in which he is

kindly, but firmly, in charge.” “Judge Waldrip never displays

vindictiveness.” Prosecutors felt that Judge Waldrip overem-

phasizes the standard of proof, however, sometimes making

it especially difficult for them to make their case. “He can

show too much deference to the defendant.” Both prosecu-

tors and defense counsel said that jury selection in Judge

Waldrip’s courtroom can be a long process, but thought he

handled voir dire well. “He can make a jury feel excited about

serving and that’s not easy to do.” He does allow attorneys to

do some voir dire. Judge Waldrip is strict regarding speak-

ing objections. Attorneys are allowed to state the objection

very briefly (e.g., “objection, hearsay”) and are not allowed to

argue further unless asked by Judge Waldrip to do so. “He

rules on objections quickly, which is good, but he doesn’t

always take enough time to hear the attorney’s argument.”

Continuances

Judge Waldrip is viewed as reasonable and even lenient

regarding continuances. Comments ranged from “He’s fair”

to “He’s easygoing.”

Settlement

Both counsel for the prosecution and for the defense

thought Judge Waldrip’s background in civil law accounts

for his strong interest in the settlement process. “He wants

to work things through to see if they can be resolved without

a trial.” “He takes every Friday for pre-trial negotiations.”

“He does a judge’s job—which is to settle cases that can be

settled, but he doesn’t force settlement.” “The atmosphere

in his settlement conferences is very pleasant.” One defense

attorney mentioned that while Judge Waldrip “started out

almost generous, he’s tightened up. He’s tougher than I

expected him to be.”

Proclivities

Judge Waldrip is known among prosecutors and defense

counsel for his interest in many factors about defendants,

and not just their criminal history. “He takes into account

their social, family, personal and religious background.”

“He looks at lots of factors about the defendant, the whole

person.” Prosecutors felt that at times Judge Waldrip shows

“too much deference to the defendant” and “sometimes he

appears to be personally attached to the defendant.” One

defense counsel viewed “taking into account the whole per-

son” as a virtue. Another said, “He spends time really talk-

ing with the person. Sometimes he seems a little naïve. I’ve

seen him talk to a pretty hard-core burglar and suggest that

maybe he should take up a hobby.” “He’s not cynical.” One

defense attorney said, “He is well liked by both prosecutors

and defense attorneys because he is known to be fair.”

Summary

Every attorney interviewed, defense and prosecution, said

that Judge Waldrip’s courtroom runs at a slower pace than

others. “What would be a four day trial elsewhere will be a

seven day trial in Judge Waldrip’s courtroom.” “He’s glacial.”

“If you have a case where you want to get in and get out,

you don’t want to be in Judge Waldrip’s court.” Most felt the

extra time was due to Judge Waldrip’s thoroughness. “He

takes the time to print out all his jury instructions. I don’t

know any other judges who do that.” Judge Waldrip was

universally viewed as a nice man who runs a well-ordered

and courteous courtroom. Some prosecutors felt that he is a

judge who can make a prosecutor’s job hard “by appearing

pro-defendant at times” and by “overemphasizing the burden

of proof.” Defense counsel viewed Judge Waldrip as more fair

than many judges. “He’s a very good judge.” “If I was on trial

I would want to be in his courtroom.” (01A)

WALKER, Vaughn Richard

Temperament/Demeanor

“[Judge Walker] has a delightful courtroom demeanor.

I just love going to his court. He’s so entertaining,” said a

criminal defense lawyer. A former federal prosecutor also

“always enjoyed being in front of him.” The ex-prosecutor

added, “He has the voice of a judge. If you want to sound like

a judge, you’d want a deep voice, and that’s how he sounds.

It’s very impressive.” Another interviewee said Judge Walker

is “very respectful.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

Judge Walker is “a very well-educated guy. I find that

he is very intelligent,” said one of the attorneys interviewed

about him. Another said, “He is intelligent enough that he

can handle things on the fly. He’s real smart.” A civil prac-

titioner said, “He’s very smart. He is a scholar of the law as

well as good in the courtroom. He is thoughtful and careful.

He’s particularly known for his deep knowledge and under-

standing of the securities area, where he is seen as an inno-

vator and a leading light. He will often come up with his own

insights on the issues.” A criminal defense attorney added,

“I don’t think he did much in criminal law before he took the

bench, but he’s had so much exposure to it and he’s seen

such a wide variety of cases that there’s no question that

he’s up on the law.”

On Motions

One interviewee asserted, “Judge Walker doesn’t read

the papers, and that makes oral argument in his courtroom

really frustrating because you feel like the kind of work you

expect to get done before isn’t done beforehand. On the other

hand, he’s great because he’s very fair to both sides. He

really does thoughtfully think about the issues beforehand.”

None of the other attorneys interviewed about Judge Walker

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