Hon. Richard P. Matsch See Rating Details
District Judge See Comments
D.Colo.  
Average Rating:6.3 - 15 rating(s)
Please send me alerts on this judge
E-mail Address:



Add your own rating

E-Mail Address (will not be displayed)
   
Confirm E-mail Address      
Zip
Occupation
Add a comment only

Ratings
*Temperament:   (1=Awful,10=Excellent)
*Scholarship:   (1=Awful,10=Excellent)
*Industriousness:   (1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
*Ability to Handle Complex Litigation:    (1=Awful,10=Excellent)
*Punctuality:    (1=Chronic`y Late,10=Always on Time)
*Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation:    (1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
*Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation:   (1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Flexibility In Scheduling   (1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)
General Inclination Regarding Bail (1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Pre-Trial:   (1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions:   (1=Least Involved,10=Most Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Trial:    (1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Sentencing:    (1=Most Lenient,10=Most Harsh)
Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators:    (1=10%,10=100%)
  Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating
Comments


Please type what you see below:

    

What others have said about Hon. Richard P. Matsch


Comments


Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 32816
Rating:8.5
Comments:
Unfortunately, passed away within the last few months. Seems to be a large divide between how criminal and civil practitioners evaluate him. Having practiced before him for about forty years as a federal prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer, if he perceived or learned of government overreaching, he would demand full and effective inquiry to expose lack of fairness. In my opinion, one of the most intellectually-honest judges on the federal bench. Tried the McVeigh - Nichols cases, and restored national respect and dignity to the courts, after the folly of the O. J. Simpson case in CA. Administered some of the most challenging cases in the District of Colorado (e.g. Aryan Brotherhood murder of talk show host Alan Berg, Denver school desegregation case) without concern about the public's or media's reaction. Though all practitioners probably faced his scorn on occasion, he demanded preparedness and attention to the relevant issues. He was usually two-to-three steps ahead of the litigants in evaluating the issues. We have lost a great one.

Send e-mail to this poster 10/2/2019 12:02:08 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 12949
Rating:5.0
Comments:
Dedicated to making every step of the litigation process as painful as it can be for the lawyers. Oten makes an early decision on which side he believes ought to win, and then pushes for that result.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/29/2011 10:58:12 AM

Other

Comment #: 9284
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
He makes up his mind and he will not listen to anything that might sway his opinion.

Send e-mail to this poster 10/8/2009 4:53:11 PM

Other

Comment #: 9283
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
My husband has been waiting for over nine months for a ruling. There has been no acknowledgement. This is no way to run a railroad!

Send e-mail to this poster 10/8/2009 4:50:06 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 8928
Rating:7.3
Comments:
Irascible and can be rude, but is super smart and usually ahead of the lawyers. A no-nonsense judge who likes to try cases. Don't cross him.

Send e-mail to this poster 7/22/2009 9:59:09 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6252
Rating:4.3
Comments:
Once he decides an issue he never reconsiders, even after the appellate court has reversed him. Refuses to read substantive motions and is much too stubborn to be a good judge.

Send e-mail to this poster 5/29/2008 4:10:21 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 6196
Rating:5.3
Comments:
He can be really nasty and appearing before him is unpleasant, but he usually gets to the right place.

Send e-mail to this poster 5/23/2008 2:37:41 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5420
Rating:9.3
Comments:
Judge Matsch is the classic federal district court judge. Smart and industriousness. Big on decorum. Likes orderly procedure, but it rarely affects rights. Decisions never fester, and cases do not stall. Judge Matsch occasionally allows his impatience to overcome him in the courtroom with unprepared or even just fumbling lawyers. Still, we need 5 more judges from his mold in Colorado (replacing some of the others). He does Judge Arraj and his predecessors proud.

Send e-mail to this poster 12/18/2007 9:06:13 AM

Other

Comment #: 5360
Rating:9.0
Comments:
I was a juror for a very complicated trial that was supposed to last 10 weeks (it was cut short because one of the attorneys discovered he had a serious illness). Judge Matsch made a very complicated process easier, and made sure that the jurors understood the gravity of evidence, but more important, the gravity of the process. He made sure on several occasions to not decide the case until all of the evidence was in.

Send e-mail to this poster 12/13/2007 12:17:58 AM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 4291
Rating:6.9
Comments:
Judge Matsch is very, very intelligent and hard working, even though he is on senior status. He can also be irascible and rude, and he will do things his way, the Law be damned. But he is smart enough usually to figure out some way to justify what he is doing. He is a result oriented judge, and will twist facts or make preliminary ruling to justify his ultimate ruling.

Send e-mail to this poster 7/4/2007 8:18:17 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4169
Rating:7.2
Comments:
This Judge will not view the facts in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff in Civil Summary Judgment matters in Employment Cases. You will have to show pretext on the part of the Employer, PLUS some actual derogatory comment or use of the "N" Word before he will attribute an inference of unlawful discrimination. Shows bias in favor of employers.

Send e-mail to this poster 6/6/2007 4:06:36 PM