Best and worst judges to clerk for Forum

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beepboopbeep

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by beepboopbeep » Sat Mar 20, 2021 1:24 pm

nixy wrote:
Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:57 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:37 pm
Linda Reade on ND Iowa only has one clerk nowadays, but she's absolutely despised by the bar, especially by criminal defense attorneys, and someone to avoid if at all possible. She and the heavy ND Iowa docket made it one of the most unpleasant courts in the country to litigate in for a long time (the newer judges seem much better). Check out her Robing Room page if you want details.
Does this also make her a bad boss? I'm not defending her b/c I don't know anything about her, but comments about what it's like to appear before someone don't actually say much about what it's like to clerk for them.
I have no particular insight into Judge Reade, but even if a judge is pleasant to their clerks, the fact that the local bar doesn't respect them can still be major downside when it comes to deciding whether to clerk for them. I don't recall hearing much about whether or not Judge Real was a good boss or not; the fact that he was widely known as the one of the most frequently reversed judges in the country was what made him a bad option to clerk for if you had other options. I have heard anecdotally that Lynn Hughes is a difficult boss as well as being frequently reversed, but even if he were super nice I'd probably recommend that people avoid that clerkship. (I'm not sure you disagree with any of this -- we seem to have pretty similar perspectives on clerking overall -- but just pointing it out since the initial responses haven't.)

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by nixy » Sat Mar 20, 2021 2:12 pm

beepboopbeep wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 1:24 pm
nixy wrote:
Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:57 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:37 pm
Linda Reade on ND Iowa only has one clerk nowadays, but she's absolutely despised by the bar, especially by criminal defense attorneys, and someone to avoid if at all possible. She and the heavy ND Iowa docket made it one of the most unpleasant courts in the country to litigate in for a long time (the newer judges seem much better). Check out her Robing Room page if you want details.
Does this also make her a bad boss? I'm not defending her b/c I don't know anything about her, but comments about what it's like to appear before someone don't actually say much about what it's like to clerk for them.
I have no particular insight into Judge Reade, but even if a judge is pleasant to their clerks, the fact that the local bar doesn't respect them can still be major downside when it comes to deciding whether to clerk for them. I don't recall hearing much about whether or not Judge Real was a good boss or not; the fact that he was widely known as the one of the most frequently reversed judges in the country was what made him a bad option to clerk for if you had other options. I have heard anecdotally that Lynn Hughes is a difficult boss as well as being frequently reversed, but even if he were super nice I'd probably recommend that people avoid that clerkship. (I'm not sure you disagree with any of this -- we seem to have pretty similar perspectives on clerking overall -- but just pointing it out since the initial responses haven't.)
Yeah, that's totally fair. Interestingly I always heard to avoid Real because he was a bad boss *and* a bad judge, but to the extent that there is a widespread consensus that a particular judge is bad at their job, that's definitely something applicants need to consider. There are also plenty of judges disliked by a lot of people who appear before them but who generally get the law right. It's just not clear to me from the posts here that Reade is a bad judge vs. an unpopular judge (like, does she get overturned regularly on criminal issues, or do the people/person posting just disagree with her approach?). That's an honest question, I don't know, so again, not trying to defend her - just saying that it's not clear.

The criminal defendant comment is much more concrete, but it still doesn't mean she's necessarily a bad boss, so much as a bad fit for many clerks. And to be clear, that's a totally fair reason not to want to clerk for her, and it's totally fair to comment about that here. I do think though that it's worth distinguishing between things like "this judge is toxic and abusive" and "this judge handles criminal cases a certain way and if you're not okay with that you'll be unhappy in this chambers," to the extent that's possible of course.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 31, 2021 1:09 pm

Any insights on C.J. Moore in S.D. Fla?

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:40 pm

Any thoughts on the personalities of "district feeders" in D.D.C., SDNY, EDNY, and elsewhere?

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:55 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:40 pm
Any thoughts on the personalities of "district feeders" in D.D.C., SDNY, EDNY, and elsewhere?
I think Kovner has a reputation for being an intense boss but pretty much awesome. From what I can tell, the people who know her love her.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:58 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:40 pm
Any thoughts on the personalities of "district feeders" in D.D.C., SDNY, EDNY, and elsewhere?
Boasberg is literally the best person you could hope to work for. Incredibly nice, manages ECF himself. He needs no recommendation, but I can't recommend him enough.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:14 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:40 pm
Boasberg is literally the best person you could hope to work for. Incredibly nice, manages ECF himself. He needs no recommendation, but I can't recommend him enough.
Awesome, thanks. Any thoughts on other D.D.C. for someone interested in fed gov / AUSA work? Howell and Moss both seem to have great career backgrounds. Cooper and Pan (nominee) seem connected in the DC scene, including through their spouses. Are those the right ones to be looking at? Friedrich also has great numbers but seems to be mostly through the Kavanaugh connection, with is a non-option for me. Any intel on them or others?
Last edited by Anonymous User on Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:27 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:40 pm
Any thoughts on the personalities of "district feeders" in D.D.C., SDNY, EDNY, and elsewhere?
I've taken Feinerman's writing class. He's maybe a tad pretentious but basically seems like a nice, socially normal guy. He's obviously super smart and a big law nerd. I can't imagine that he's awful to work for. Pacold hasn't fed yet but she's one of the top young conservative DJs and is reputed to be super nice.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:56 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:27 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:40 pm
Any thoughts on the personalities of "district feeders" in D.D.C., SDNY, EDNY, and elsewhere?
I've taken Feinerman's writing class. He's maybe a tad pretentious but basically seems like a nice, socially normal guy. He's obviously super smart and a big law nerd. I can't imagine that he's awful to work for. Pacold hasn't fed yet but she's one of the top young conservative DJs and is reputed to be super nice.
Did not clerk for her, but can confirm Pacold is super nice and is a good candidate to become a conservative D. Ct. feeder (and there aren't that many of those right now--the liberal justices have more relationships at the D. Ct. level). She will likely move to the 7th Circuit in the next Republican administration.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:52 am

+1 for Boasberg. Clerked for a different DDC judge, but agree Boasberg seemed incredibly nice, incredibly smart, and really looks out for his clerks. Can't imagine anyone saying a bad word about him (except maybe that he looks like the grim reaper, but he really is the nicest guy).

-1 for Rakoff. Took a seminar with him. Like, I get it--he's probably the most highly-regarded trial judge in the country. But he's also always struck me as a bit too pompous/full of himself.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:21 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:52 am
+1 for Boasberg. Clerked for a different DDC judge, but agree Boasberg seemed incredibly nice, incredibly smart, and really looks out for his clerks. Can't imagine anyone saying a bad word about him (except maybe that he looks like the grim reaper, but he really is the nicest guy).

-1 for Rakoff. Took a seminar with him. Like, I get it--he's probably the most highly-regarded trial judge in the country. But he's also always struck me as a bit too pompous/full of himself.
I had Rakoff for my 1L crim class, and while I did not think of him as a great professor, I did not get the vibe that he was pompous. He certainly thinks highly of himself, but what judge doesn't? That being said, I have heard he is quite tough in chambers, so maybe things are wholly different there.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:18 pm

I've also heard through the grapevine that Rakoff's a bit of an ass personally, though if you get that Rakoff/Katzmann clerkship you have to take it. On other SDNY judges if you search around there've been some statements on here before that Nathan demands crazy hours (though she probably won't be on SDNY much longer anyway). Cronan, who's probably in the Pacold bucket, knows one of my profs well and she strongly recommends him as a person, mentor, etc.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:09 pm

Of the NY-area district judges who regularly or semi-regularly feed, I've heard nothing but good things about Oetken, Furman, and Cote. (Engelmeyer, too; I'm not sure if he's fed but he hires students with feeder credentials). Nathan and Kovner expect long hours but are good people to work for. I have also heard that Rakoff can be a tough clerkship.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:29 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:21 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:52 am
+1 for Boasberg. Clerked for a different DDC judge, but agree Boasberg seemed incredibly nice, incredibly smart, and really looks out for his clerks. Can't imagine anyone saying a bad word about him (except maybe that he looks like the grim reaper, but he really is the nicest guy).

-1 for Rakoff. Took a seminar with him. Like, I get it--he's probably the most highly-regarded trial judge in the country. But he's also always struck me as a bit too pompous/full of himself.
I had Rakoff for my 1L crim class, and while I did not think of him as a great professor, I did not get the vibe that he was pompous. He certainly thinks highly of himself, but what judge doesn't? That being said, I have heard he is quite tough in chambers, so maybe things are wholly different there.
Another chime in for Boasberg. Super smart, a great mentor, incredibly kind, and his clerks seem to work a pretty normal 9-6. Would be a top-notch clerkship to have even if he was not a feeder.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 05, 2021 6:55 pm

Already bumped in CADC forum but no answer so I figured I’d ask here: could anyone do a breakdown of all of the active judges on the DC Circuit

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 05, 2021 7:38 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Apr 05, 2021 6:55 pm
Already bumped in CADC forum but no answer so I figured I’d ask here: could anyone do a breakdown of all of the active judges on the DC Circuit
Walker has a ~10 foot cactus in his living room. Seriously, the cactus takes up the space of a New York apartment.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:53 pm

Interested in D.N.J...anyone with knowledge on any of the judges

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:33 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:53 pm
Interested in D.N.J...anyone with knowledge on any of the judges
Right now, DNJ is an understaffed nightmare, but the flip side is that a bunch of new judges should hopefully be coming on-line soon.

Of the judges currently around, I never heard any bad-boss reports. McNulty's and Cecchi's clerks seemed to adore them. Of the seniors, Martini had a reputation of being a bit Trumpy, but within reasonable limits.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:09 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:33 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:53 pm
Interested in D.N.J...anyone with knowledge on any of the judges
Right now, DNJ is an understaffed nightmare, but the flip side is that a bunch of new judges should hopefully be coming on-line soon.

Of the judges currently around, I never heard any bad-boss reports. McNulty's and Cecchi's clerks seemed to adore them. Of the seniors, Martini had a reputation of being a bit Trumpy, but within reasonable limits.
As far as Camden goes, all district judges are great to work for. Bumb, Kugler, and Hillman are all fantastic bosses, and the entire courthouse seems pretty tight.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Fri May 14, 2021 2:43 am

Thoughts on Bennett and Bade (9th Cir.)?

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Fri May 14, 2021 2:48 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri May 14, 2021 2:43 am
Thoughts on Bennett and Bade (9th Cir.)?
They're more moderate than your average Trump appointee. I've heard good things about Bennett, but I have no firsthand experience with him or his clerks. Bade is great. She's very friendly and personable.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 18, 2021 4:27 pm

This isn't really the right thread for this, but this old letter from Larry Tribe to Obama on Souter, Breyer, Kagan, Sotomayor, Diane Wood etc. is a very interesting (and embarrassingly frank) document. Worth a read if you're a federal judiciary obsessive.

http://eppc.org/docLib/20101028_tribeletter.pdf

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 18, 2021 5:59 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 4:27 pm
This isn't really the right thread for this, but this old letter from Larry Tribe to Obama on Souter, Breyer, Kagan, Sotomayor, Diane Wood etc. is a very interesting (and embarrassingly frank) document. Worth a read if you're a federal judiciary obsessive.

http://eppc.org/docLib/20101028_tribeletter.pdf
LOL good to see Larry Tribe hasn't changed much over the decades. At least he humbly resisted volunteering his own Herculean intellect for the seat.

ETA: from what I've heard, Kagan herself is not the easiest judge to clerk for. Snappy, and harsh, relative to some of the other SCOTUS chambers.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 18, 2021 8:52 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 5:59 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 4:27 pm
This isn't really the right thread for this, but this old letter from Larry Tribe to Obama on Souter, Breyer, Kagan, Sotomayor, Diane Wood etc. is a very interesting (and embarrassingly frank) document. Worth a read if you're a federal judiciary obsessive.

http://eppc.org/docLib/20101028_tribeletter.pdf
LOL good to see Larry Tribe hasn't changed much over the decades. At least he humbly resisted volunteering his own Herculean intellect for the seat.

ETA: from what I've heard, Kagan herself is not the easiest judge to clerk for. Snappy, and harsh, relative to some of the other SCOTUS chambers.
Credited. Recent SCOTUS clerk I know (who would never use this term unless it was warranted) described her as "nasty" to her clerks. There's definitely some Stockholm syndrome with her clerks and her. Of course, who would give up a SCOTUS clerkship just because one year would be brutal. People were willing to give up just as much, if not more, for a *chance* at a SCOTUS clerkship when Kozinski was still around.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 18, 2021 9:44 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 8:52 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 5:59 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 4:27 pm
This isn't really the right thread for this, but this old letter from Larry Tribe to Obama on Souter, Breyer, Kagan, Sotomayor, Diane Wood etc. is a very interesting (and embarrassingly frank) document. Worth a read if you're a federal judiciary obsessive.

http://eppc.org/docLib/20101028_tribeletter.pdf
LOL good to see Larry Tribe hasn't changed much over the decades. At least he humbly resisted volunteering his own Herculean intellect for the seat.

ETA: from what I've heard, Kagan herself is not the easiest judge to clerk for. Snappy, and harsh, relative to some of the other SCOTUS chambers.
Credited. Recent SCOTUS clerk I know (who would never use this term unless it was warranted) described her as "nasty" to her clerks. There's definitely some Stockholm syndrome with her clerks and her. Of course, who would give up a SCOTUS clerkship just because one year would be brutal. People were willing to give up just as much, if not more, for a *chance* at a SCOTUS clerkship when Kozinski was still around.
Anybody know whether the accusations of Sotomayor being a "bully" are credited? This is otherwise a hilarious and fascinating read.

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