can a federal judge write a LOR? Forum

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jimmy

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can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by jimmy » Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:32 am

is a federal judge or a US Magistrate judge allowed to write letters of recommendation or is this prohibited by some judicial committee rules?

I am working for a magistrate judge this summer and I was mentioning to the secretary that I had turned in an application to transfer to this one school and she told me that the judge teaches as an adjunct at the school I'm applying.

When he came back she told him and even though I've only known him about a month, he said "use me as a reference!"

So 2 questions:

1. since I didn't have the guts to ask for a letter of rec. right then and there, I'm just wondering if it's worth it to ask him now or if would just be embarrassing since he didn't offer (and maybe he cant?)

2. if i didn't would it be worth the bother even to send a quick letter supplementing my application saying please use so-and-so judge as a reference.?

rando

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by rando » Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:35 am

jimmy wrote:is a federal judge or a US Magistrate judge allowed to write letters of recommendation or is this prohibited by some judicial committee rules?

I am working for a magistrate judge this summer and I was mentioning to the secretary that I had turned in an application to transfer to this one school and she told me that the judge teaches as an adjunct at the school I'm applying.

When he came back she told him and even though I've only known him about a month, he said "use me as a reference!"

So 2 questions:

1. since I didn't have the guts to ask for a letter of rec. right then and there, I'm just wondering if it's worth it to ask him now or if would just be embarrassing since he didn't offer (and maybe he cant?)

2. if i didn't would it be worth the bother even to send a quick letter supplementing my application saying please use so-and-so judge as a reference.?
I would use it.

As far as I know there is nothing to bar a fed. judge as opposed to any other judge from writing a letter.

Just because he didn't offer doesn't mean he wouldn't want to. Don't forget that judges have been out of the loop for a while and may not even know that transfers require personal recommendations. Just let him know what the procedure is and ask. Leave it to your judge to say yes or no. Don't do it for him/her.

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ggocat

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by ggocat » Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:48 am

rando wrote:Leave it to your judge to say yes or no. Don't do it for him/her.
TCR, although I know some federal judges refuse to write recommendation letters even for their clerks.

jimmy

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by jimmy » Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:00 pm

I've been searching but I can't really find anything on it, so the only reason I ask is because one person I know mentioned that typically u.s. judges couldn't write letters because some rules identified that as a conflict of interest.

I'm just basically trying to avoid any awkwardness that might ensue since he didn't outright say that he would "write" me a letter and asking him might be weird.

I mean, supposing I don't ask him for a rec, does providing a letter saying you may use this person (albeit he teaches as an adjunct there) as a reference do ANYTHING?

The question I suppose is: is it letter of recommendation or bust?

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ggocat

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by ggocat » Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:05 pm

jimmy wrote:I'm just basically trying to avoid any awkwardness that might ensue
Get over it. :wink:
jimmy wrote:I mean, supposing I don't ask him for a rec, does providing a letter saying you may use this person (albeit he teaches as an adjunct there) as a reference do ANYTHING?
It couldn't hurt.
jimmy wrote:The question I suppose is: is it letter of recommendation or bust?
No.

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CanadianWolf

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by CanadianWolf » Sat Jul 10, 2010 1:56 pm

Reference only. Conflict of interest is a huge consideration.

traydeuce

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by traydeuce » Sat Jul 10, 2010 3:45 pm

I've been wondering, on similar lines, whether the judge that you intern for your 1L summer can recommend you to judges you apply for clerkships with later. You'd think that would carry more weight than a professor, however well-known, saying "I've taught this guy and he's smart," but I'm not sure judges are in the habit of writing LORs.

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Jordan77

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by Jordan77 » Sat Jul 10, 2010 3:47 pm

My fed judge I externed for said to use him as a reference, but said he does not do actual LORs. I think they have the discretion to write LORs, especially for clerks, but a lot of judges probably prefer you just use them as a reference so that they don't cross the CJC line of what is unacceptable.

UCLAtransfer

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by UCLAtransfer » Sat Jul 10, 2010 7:37 pm

I think most everyone on here is right. From what I have heard, a lot of judges prefer not to write letters. However, it is definitely discretionary, because one of my LORs for clerkships is from the District Court Judge I externed for.

Doesn't hurt to ask, especially if you frame it first as a question about whether they have a policy one way or the other.

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bezatru

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by bezatru » Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:05 pm

Most judges do not write LORs, but they allow you to use them as a reference. However, I think this is just a discretionary decision (I interned for a Federal Judge this summer and he wrote a LOR for me)

toddyman8

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by toddyman8 » Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:34 am

I asked a magistrate judge who used to be my dad's lawyer for a rec, and he told me its a violation of the federal rules of judicial conduct.

UCLAtransfer

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by UCLAtransfer » Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:49 am

toddyman8 wrote:I asked a magistrate judge who used to be my dad's lawyer for a rec, and he told me its a violation of the federal rules of judicial conduct.
i think the rules say judges aren't supposed to "use the prestige of the judicial office to advance the private interests of others" or something like that. i don't think that this has ever necessarily been read to mean they can't write LORs to law students. i think the credited response is still that it is just a matter of each individual judge's policy on the matter.

traydeuce

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Re: can a federal judge write a LOR?

Post by traydeuce » Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:35 am

If I were a tad more neurotic I might walk in tomorrow morning and be like, "sooooo, do you feel like sending a letter about how awesome my bench memos have been to Harvard?" She is very enthusiastic about my transfer chances, but I don't think that would go over very well.

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