The
man poised to become the next chief judge of the federal district
court in Chicago -- James Holderman -- got the lowest score of
any of the 20 judges on the court, based largely on an alleged
temper problem.
James
Holderman, 59, -- jokingly referred to as "Holdermaniac" by some
of his critics -- "yells screams and intimidates," according to
a study released Thursday by the Chicago Council of Lawyers, a
reform-minded bar association.
Holderman,
an attorney in private practice until President Ronald Reagan
appointed him to the bench in 1985, has had well-publicized clashes
with prosecutors, who argue he is biased against them. U.S. Attorney
Patrick Fitzgerald asked the federal appellate court to remove
him from a case last year. The appellate court declined but encouraged
both sides to try to get along.
Otherwise
solid ratings
"Given
Judge Holderman's solid ratings for legal ability, decisiveness,
preparation and diligence, the active federal bar's disaffection
with Judge Holderman appears to be due to his temperament," the
council's report said. "The council hopes that he will address
this issue."
In
his response to the council, Holderman said, "I appreciate the
time and effort the Chicago Council of Lawyers spent in preparing
the survey and the feedback you have provided the active federal
judges. I will keep a copy in my desk as a daily reminder of where
I can improve."
Holderman
is set to take over July 1 as chief judge, replacing Charles Kocoras,
who tied for first place with newcomer Mark Filip.
The
council's report was based on a survey of more than 800 lawyers
who practice in the federal court in Chicago.
Coming
in with the second-lowest rating was Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan,
a close friend of former Attorney General John Ashcroft who formerly
served as judge at the executive office for Immigration Review
at the Dept. of Justice.
Pallmeyer,
Lefkow reviewed
"While
a minority of lawyers commented positively on Judge Der-Yeghiayan,
the vast majority of lawyers interviewed gave him poor marks on
virtually all areas," the council said in its report. Lawyers
complained that he refused to extend deadlines even when both
parties agreed and dismissed cases when lawyers missed a court
appearance. The council urged him to improve.
In
the category of who would be the best judge to elevate to the
appellate court, Filip, 39, got the highest score, coming in just
ahead of Kocoras.
Judge
Rebecca Pallmeyer, the judge overseeing George Ryan's corruption
trial for the last six months, got high ratings in every category
except decisiveness, in which she was just below average.
Judge
Joan Lefkow, whose husband and mother were murdered by a disgruntled
litigant last year, likewise got very high ratings.
Copyright
© 2006, The
Sun-Times Company