Hon. Manuel L. Real See Rating Details
District Judge See Comments
C.D.Cal.  
Average Rating:2.8 - 45 rating(s)



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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%)
Comments
  Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating

What others have said about Hon. Manuel L. Real


Comments


Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 11187
Rating:3.8
Comments:
He had one of my clients bound and gagged when the man was not at all contemptuous; only wanted to be heard at sentencing; he refuses to continue criminal matters when ALL parties need a continuance; he is a bully and a tyrant...but he doesn''t scare me. Evidently, the 9th Cir and Congress are scared though. What''s taking so long?

Send e-mail to this poster 8/3/2010 6:42:11 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 10266
Rating:1.6
Comments:
The judge displays his bias early and often. He objects on behalf of the attorneys that represent his bias, makes evidenciary findings of fact during oral summation of the party he is biased against, and rules accordingly. He is very discourteous and unprofessional towards the counsel that doesn't represent his bias.

Send e-mail to this poster 6/11/2010 5:28:47 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 10237
Rating:1.6
Comments:
The man is crazy and too old to be making any rational decisions. He is biased and needs to be impeached.

Send e-mail to this poster 5/31/2010 3:26:27 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 9896
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Manny Real is probably the worst judge I have ever appeared before. He does not understand the federal securities laws, decides complicated motions without opinion, and seems to base his rulings on gut reaction rather than the law or the facts. He is also a terrible human being.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/10/2010 4:53:25 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 8362
Rating:1.2
Comments:
Besides his bad demeanor and temperament, which is something we're paid to deal with, the real problem is that Judge Real has no respect for precedent or statute. And when he makes obvious factual, procedural or legal errors, he refuses to correct himself. This is unacceptable, and is why many lay people have a bad view of the law.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/9/2009 3:18:16 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 8043
Rating:1.6
Comments:
Quite simply the worst judge that I have ever encountered. He either just doesn't gave a hoot about the rule of law or he's too stupid to read and follow precedent. In either case, he creates unnecessary work and expense and deprives litigants of their due process rights. He is not fit to wear the robe.

Send e-mail to this poster 2/12/2009 5:43:52 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6720
Rating:4.3
Comments:
Judge Real is very intelligent and hardworking. He seems to develop an opinion of the case early in the litigation and that opinion never changes. He will apparently decide which side should prevail and will tailor his rulings to achieve that result. That seems to be the reason why he usually will not explain his reasoning on substantive motion rulings.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/3/2008 11:53:23 AM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 6606
Rating:4.0
Comments:
Another reversal by the 9th Circuit, this time on a CWA and ESA case. CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY; FRIENDS OF FAWNSKIN v. MARINA POINT. The district court determined that Marina Point had violated the CWA and had either violated or would violate the
ESA. See Center I, 434 F. Supp. at 795-98. However, because it lacked jurisdiction over the CWA claims and because the ESA claims have become moot, we vacate its judgment and remand with directions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction. Concomitantly, we reverse the award of attorney fees and the contempt order. Apparently the bald eagle had been removed from ESL and rendered case moot. Oops. Seems like King Real didn't get his way again.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/6/2008 2:36:10 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6086
Rating:4.4
Comments:
He is a tyrant and undiagnosed bipolar jurist who needs to have his mediciation checked by the 9th Circuit. He is a poster boy for the mandatory retirement of U.S. District Judges. Mel Brooks was right when he said "it's good to be the king," but it's better to be a federal judge.

Send e-mail to this poster 4/25/2008 9:27:22 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6085
Rating:2.2
Comments:
I have never seen a worse judge than Manuel Real.

Send e-mail to this poster 4/25/2008 4:58:32 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5985
Rating:1.3
Comments:
Aside from those who must be Judge Real's relatives, the others have said it best: he is a horrible judge and should not be on the federal bench.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/27/2008 1:00:58 AM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5957
Rating:1.3
Comments:
This judicial tyrant has the highest reversal rate of any judge in the Ninth Circuit. He is a tyrant who never should have been made a judge and who should have been removed long ago. A true misfit.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/24/2008 7:00:03 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5939
Rating:1.1
Comments:
Absolutely the worst. Yet again, as set forth below, the Ninth Circuit reversed him, this time for blatantly pro-government conduct, and removed him, yet again, from the case on remand. U.S.A. v. Hall, 06-50356 (9th Cir. 03-19-08). The instances of this are getting closer and closer, this one just seven days on the heels of the last one. It is high time the Ninth Circuit took this judicial misfit off the bench. He is wasting thousands of hours of attorney and judicial time.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/21/2008 8:58:44 PM

Prosecutor

Comment #: 5908
Rating:1.1
Comments:
This guy is the worst federal judge. Yet again, the Ninth Circuit reversed him for arbitrary and capricious conduct, this time for doing something good -- giving a lenient sentence -- but refusing to give any reasons. He screws up everything. U.S.A. v. Medawar, 07-50180 (9th Cir. 03-12-08).

Send e-mail to this poster 3/16/2008 7:07:12 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5853
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This lazy, vicious monarch has terrorized litigants and lawyers for 42 years and has the highest reversal rate in the Ninth Circuit, which virtually automatically and sua sponte re-assigns his cases to other judges when it remands them. Soon, hopefully, the Ninth Circuit will take all his cases away from him, but 42 years too late. Just an awful judge.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/5/2008 9:51:01 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5775
Rating:1.3
Comments:
It is impossible to describe accurately in mere words how bad this judge is. He is so mean and intimidating that one really needs to sit in his courtroom in order to fully appreciate how awful he is.

Send e-mail to this poster 2/19/2008 2:31:04 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5738
Rating:1.3
Comments:
This judge is schizophrenic in the colloquial sense that he has two different personalities. When on the bench, he is not punctual, is unprepared, shoots from the hip, and simply decides cases as though he were flipping a coin. He should be removed and replaced by a coin-flipping machine, which at least, over time, would get it right 50% of the time, and would have virtually no upkeep costs, such as salary, staff, pension benefits, and health care premiums. This judge is a disgrace to the bench and should have been removed long, long ago. He is a tyrant.

Send e-mail to this poster 2/15/2008 9:11:43 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5651
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Real is a disgrace as both a person and a judge. He is mean, ignorant, impatient, arrogant, and a judicial coward and bully. He should be impeached.

Send e-mail to this poster 1/30/2008 11:43:19 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5627
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Real is the best example of all things a judge should not be. He is lazy, unintelligent, rude, and a bully. Finally, and at long last, he has been reprimanded, twice, by the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council, but it took 42 years, and the reprimands were but slaps on the wrist. This judicial tyrant is a disgrace to the entire federal bench. He is the very best example of why lifetime judicial appointments are a very bad idea.

Send e-mail to this poster 1/29/2008 12:30:14 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5618
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This judicial thug for 40-plus years has terrorized lawyers and litigants. He finally was reprimanded twice by the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council, which was upheld by the U.S. Judicial Conference, and now is the subject of disciplinary proceedings to determine if he should be subject to a further public reprimand and having no new cases assigned to him. This guy is a judicial monster. There simply is no judge worse than him, living or dead.

Send e-mail to this poster 1/27/2008 6:46:41 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5582
Rating:10.0
Comments:
Judge Real volunteers teaching trial advocacy to law students and young lawyers around the country and he is a superb teacher. To those of us who teach with him, he is a dear, close, valuable friend.

I am aware of his courtroom reputation but he is a very good man at heart and a valued colleague.

Send e-mail to this poster 1/21/2008 2:22:17 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5012
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Real is a tyrant. He is stupid, lazy, intolerant, abusive to all, and a frightening piece of work. Lawyers joke that the Number of the Beast, "666," is engraved on his scalp. This guy is nothing short of a monster. A coin-flipping machine on the bench would do a better legal job than than he does because it would get the decision right at least half of the time. His reversal rate is near 70%, and the Ninth Circuit now (usually in unpublished memoranda dispositions) automatically orders him removed on remand so that they won't have to deal with his disobedience of its orders when it reverses him. This guy goes to the new, Tenth Circle of Hell -- one even Dante couldn't have imagined.

Send e-mail to this poster 10/6/2007 7:23:51 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4974
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge is stupid, lazy, arrogant and authoritarian. He was ordered by the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in future to provide reasons for his rulings, which usually are followed, when asked for an explanation, by "Because I said it." This is a judicial thug who should have been, came close to, but was not, impeached a long time ago. It is difficult to describe the terror he visits upon those in his courtroom and the shame that he makes lawyers feel. He is as mean as can be and until recently no one tried to stop him.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/30/2007 12:01:49 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4836
Rating:2.0
Comments:
Volatile and wooden-headed. Really an abominable individual. Despotic and foolish. A blight on the legal profession.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/17/2007 11:39:59 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 4752
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I have handled 4 cases before Judge Real and found him to be fair, patient and deliberate. In every case he sentenced below guidelines. He has a big heart and a short temper for crybaby lawyers who try to cross him in the courtroom. He's the boss and he lets you know it, but when not confronted he makes decisions that fit the crime.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/6/2007 2:44:37 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4683
Rating:5.6
Comments:
Judge Real is obnoxious and will make someone's life hell - you hope it is the other side. While he is very smart, there is no excuse for the way he treats people.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/29/2007 6:53:37 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 4624
Rating:8.6
Comments:
I have found Judge Real to be one of the most genuine judges/persons I've run into in my practice. Appearing before him is an honor and delight. Judges are supposed to decide cases and he makes decisions day in and day out without undue delay. I may not agree with the decision but that is not my call to make. If you are prepared, you should have no difficulties before Judge Real.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/24/2007 12:45:36 PM

Prosecutor

Comment #: 4609
Rating:10.0
Comments:
Judge Real is one of the best judges in the Central District. He is fair, no nonsense, down to business. If you are prepared and know how to conduct a trial, and know the rules of evidence, you will do well, if not, he will call you on it. I completely disagree with the sexist comment, I am female and have practiced in the Central District for 15+ years, and I have never seen or experienced any sexism in his courtroom. I have always been deferential, and he has always been courteous.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/23/2007 4:48:52 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 4534
Rating:1.4
Comments:
Worst judge in the United States

Send e-mail to this poster 8/13/2007 8:16:02 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 4083
Rating:1.0
Comments:
The best rating I could give him is a one, and that's being generous.

Send e-mail to this poster 5/9/2007 11:54:22 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 3694
Rating:1.0
Comments:
One word review? Scum

Send e-mail to this poster 2/11/2007 3:27:10 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2573
Rating:1.5
Comments:
He is a racist and a sexist. He is brutally mean. It amazes me that he has lasted this long. Why every single defender who has ever appeared before him hasn't reported him to the judiciary is beyond me, except that judges protect judges and it's well known if you are a CJA lawyer and you make waves, you might be kicked off the panel next time.

Send e-mail to this poster 10/1/2006 1:37:12 PM

Prosecutor

Comment #: 2565
Rating:1.2
Comments:
One of the worst judges in America. Cocky, demeaning to everyone. Even the liberal 9th Circuit judges can't stand him. See dissent in U.S. v. Menyweather, No. 03-50493 (9th Cir. Dec. 16, 2005).

Send e-mail to this poster 9/29/2006 11:27:31 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2492
Rating:3.0
Comments:
He is a blot on the federal judiciary. He is an automatic appeal and almost an automatic reversal

Send e-mail to this poster 9/21/2006 3:19:32 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2489
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Worst federal judge in American History. A complete disgrace. Should be in federal prison. Enters false findings of fact. A monster in court. Ethnically biased. The fact that he has lasted this long is an indictment of the entire federal judiciary who have known about him yet cover up his excesses just as the Catholic Church used to hide the transgressions of its priests. The one difference is that the life-tenured federal judges get away with protecting their own because they are the judges of themselves -- the biggest mistake that the Founding Fathers made in drafting the Constitution.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/21/2006 2:49:21 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2420
Rating:2.0
Comments:
The worst.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/19/2006 12:42:04 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2200
Rating:2.3
Comments:
for over 35 years he has been among the worst federal judges in the country's is biased closed minded inconsiderate and a disgrace to the bench . considering his outrageous behavior and the damage he has inflicted over his career it is unfortunate that members of congress have only recently openly discussed his potential impeachment.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/9/2006 7:43:54 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2198
Rating:2.0
Comments:
This is a truly evil man. There is no way that a defendant can receive anywhere near a fair trial. If you plead guilty(even if your not), you place yourself at his mercy which always him to excercise power and you might get a fair sentence. Woe to the innocent person in his court. The comment from a prosecutor(#1750) is an obvious bogus comment because no honest prosecutor in this district would express such an opinion.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/9/2006 2:10:37 PM

Prosecutor

Comment #: 1750
Rating:9.7
Comments:
Judge Real is a great judge. Very smart, fair, and hardworking. If you've got your stuff together, you'll have no problem in his courtroom. If you don't, you'll have problems. This goes for both sides. If you're right on the facts and the law, you'll win; if not you'll lose. Almost invariably he's the smartest and most prepared person in the courtroom. It IS a bracing experience to appear before him.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/17/2006 10:54:20 AM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 1695
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Real is a decent man off the bench. But when he puts on the robes something seems to go wrong. I saw him weep at the funeral of a criminal defense lawyer.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/15/2006 7:59:37 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 1551
Rating:1.5
Comments:
Judge Real is one of the worst judges imaginable to try a criminal case to. He goes out of his way to send a message to the jury that he favors the prosecutor and has contempt for the defense counsel. However, for female defendants who plead out, he can be very lenient at sentencing.

Send e-mail to this poster 7/1/2006 3:18:07 PM