4 ms·

As someone who has had some contact - both second- and first-hand - with the court system (albeit not the American one), this is extremely heartening. Most peo

by slavak 14y ago

As someone who has had some contact - both second- and first-hand - with the court system (albeit not the American one), this is extremely heartening. Most people can't imagine how ass-backwards some judges' decisions can be. It's refreshing to see one that not only makes sense, but is also thoroughly researched and backed up by a good knowledge of the facts and intricacies of the subject at hand. Unfortunately, it's likely this is due to the high profile of the case and the deep pockets of the litigants. Don't expect the judge in your case to be nearly as invested and well-versed.

ars 14y ago
I like to read judges decisions occasionally and I've always been impressed - I haven't always agreed, but they are always well written and well reasoned. Maybe it's a bit of selection bias in my choice of decisions to read (typically the cases that are on the news), but I suspect most judges are extremely smart and very good at what they do. If you (plural you) don't read them, you should - they are not written for lawyers (aside from a tiny bit of jargon that is easy to lookup - usually Latin words). Typically before deciding any law the Judge will include an introduction with an explanation of how the law is structured, and it's clear that that's not written for lawyers (who would be expected to know this already), but for the general public.
- dchest 14y ago
  Suggested reading -- Joanne Siegel et al v. Time Warner Inc http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/2:2004cv08776/166872/174 http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/californ... Includes the history of Superman creation (with pictures) and some discussion of his superpowers.
- bane 14y ago
  I've found that the higher up the food chain, the better the reading -- SCOTUS decisions are often a joy to read. That being said, I've read some truly dismal thinking in some judgments. I recall one where the judge essentially said "this doesn't violate any laws or the constitution, but I don't like it, that's why I ruled against it".
Natsu 14y ago
> Unfortunately, it's likely this is due to the high profile of the case and the deep pockets of the litigants. The litigants don't get to choose which judge hears their case. There are rules to exclude judges who have a stake in the matter (recusal), but they don't just get to pick who they want to hear the case.
- yardie 14y ago
  He was referring to the level of the court system. The higher up you go the better the judges get. The quality of municipal court judges is vastly different to Federal Circuit court. The 9th is just 1-2 stops below the US Supreme court. Also, they don't get to chose the judge but with enough money you do get to chose the district. Flying lawyers out to court costs money (they do bill you for the flight and flight time) and has been used in the past by some plaintiffs to extract a settlement.

by slavak 14y ago

ars 14y ago

I like to read judges decisions occasionally and I've always been impressed - I haven't always agreed, but they are always well written and well reasoned. Maybe it's a bit of selection bias in my choice of decisions to read (typically the cases that are on the news), but I suspect most judges are extremely smart and very good at what they do. If you (plural you) don't read them, you should - they are not written for lawyers (aside from a tiny bit of jargon that is easy to lookup - usually Latin words). Typically before deciding any law the Judge will include an introduction with an explanation of how the law is structured, and it's clear that that's not written for lawyers (who would be expected to know this already), but for the general public.

dchest 14y ago
Suggested reading -- Joanne Siegel et al v. Time Warner Inc http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/2:2004cv08776/166872/174 http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/californ... Includes the history of Superman creation (with pictures) and some discussion of his superpowers.
bane 14y ago
I've found that the higher up the food chain, the better the reading -- SCOTUS decisions are often a joy to read. That being said, I've read some truly dismal thinking in some judgments. I recall one where the judge essentially said "this doesn't violate any laws or the constitution, but I don't like it, that's why I ruled against it".

Natsu 14y ago

> Unfortunately, it's likely this is due to the high profile of the case and the deep pockets of the litigants. The litigants don't get to choose which judge hears their case. There are rules to exclude judges who have a stake in the matter (recusal), but they don't just get to pick who they want to hear the case.

yardie 14y ago
He was referring to the level of the court system. The higher up you go the better the judges get. The quality of municipal court judges is vastly different to Federal Circuit court. The 9th is just 1-2 stops below the US Supreme court. Also, they don't get to chose the judge but with enough money you do get to chose the district. Flying lawyers out to court costs money (they do bill you for the flight and flight time) and has been used in the past by some plaintiffs to extract a settlement.