The Robing Room
I’m less skeptical than Evan Schaeffer about The Robing Room, a new site that allows pretty much anyone to rate federal trial judges on a variety of criteria. Certainly we’ll have to see if the site takes hold and the useful ratings predominate over the ones that are just vindictive (or put up by the judge’s clerks). But it seems to me like an idea that could be really useful.
One of the things that has become extremely clear in the first two weeks of my clerkship is the degree to which most lawyers don’t tailor their arguments to their audience enough. Last week, I watched an AUSA continue to hammer away at an argument that the judge had made absolutely clear he had no interest in. That can only have hurt her case. It seems like, if it goes well (and if one takes everything there with a grain of salt), The Robing Room could become a useful resource for lawyers, particularly those practicing in an unfamiliar court.
Nicholas Kaizer said,
October 10, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
It is our belief that the Robing Room website will, in time, develop into one of the most important legal resources on the Internet. With the way that the site has taken off in recent months (with the addition of state-specific judiciary ratings sections), our belief appears to have some justification. With the rectification of certain security issues and the addition of a permanent moderator to insure the site against degeneration into a mere gossip-fest, the Robing Room has become a valid legal professional resource — more so than ever before. But don’t take our word for it — go to http://www.therobingroom.com and see for yourself. Don’t be afraid to judge the judges!