Hon. T.S. Ellis III See Rating Details
District Judge See Comments
E.D.Va.  
Average Rating:4.8 - 89 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%)
  Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating
Comments


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What others have said about Hon. T.S. Ellis III


Comments


Litigant

Comment #: 35516
Rating:1.0
Comments:
T.S. Ellis III aka Thomas Selby Ellis III is an extremely dishonest and corrupt federal judge, a DISHONORABLE PIG! DISHONORABLE PIG T.S. Ellis III suffered from STUPIDITY, a Math DUMMY who could not count a quantity of days from a DATE A to a DATE B correctly. In 2017, he likely suffered mentally because he demonstrated that he lacked a mastery of the Federal Rules of Evidence. He also demonstrated that argument could be made that he operated with a hidden racist animus. A JUDICIAL MAGGOT like T.S. Ellis III hid his discriminatory animus in his rulings with care.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 34641
Rating:9.0
Comments:
I'm shocked at all the political comments. From what I read, the judge applied the law in Manafort and applied the more modern, post-Booker approach to sentencing. Gosh, our system is supposed to make the government prove its case according to the law and facts, folks, regardless of popularity. Judge Ellis is always well-prepared, knows the law, and has a subtle snarky sense of humor. Yes, he can be cranky, but mostly with lawyers who themselves aren't courteous.

Litigant

Comment #: 34191
Rating:10.0
Comments:
I'm going into this with an open mind. I prefer a judge who is quick witted, to the point, and loves the law yet somehow managed to inject humor. I may lose or I may win. Which ever way the side of the scales of justice tilt; I'm ok with it because of this judge's proven committment, intelligence and zero tolerance for BS. Just read through all his cases. I get some are pissed and feel they should have won. But better to be better prepared than slander a Former LT in the Navy, and a really good judge. Let the chips fall where they may. Do your best when its your turn to swing at bat. And keep things moving. Everyones entitled to an opinion. They're not all good ones. But if Im going to lose; at least I know Ive got a smart judge who will be fair and decisive.

Other

Comment #: 33576
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Makes prejudicial comments without factual basis. Forgets which lawyer said what. Usually confused between prosecutors and defense lawyers.Writes decisions without a question being presented to him. Seems to be suffering from dementia. Must leave bench for public welfare.A disgrace to the bench

Other

Comment #: 33575
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Makes prejudicial comments without factual basis. Forgets which lawyer said what. Usually confused between prosecutors and defense lawyers.Writes decisions without a question being presented to him. Seems to be suffering from dementia. Must leave bench for public welfare.A disgrace to the bench

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33289
Rating:10.0
Comments:
I recently appeared in front of Judge Ellis. I lost issues I should have lost, and won issues I should have won. There's a lot of harsh words below -- a lot based in politics, rather than Judge Ellis' actual character.

All I am saying is that he was flawless on the issues in the one case I had before him.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 33272
Rating:1.8
Comments:
He is the perfect example of why we need a constitutional amendment setting term limits for judges. He is nasty and intellectually dishonest. My adversary literally lied to him 26 times. The last ten caused them to win summary judgment. We pointed this out to Ellis and he ignored us.s35R

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 32943
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Worst Federal Judge in the country.

If he only knew how foolish he looks when he tries to be the smartest guy in the room.

A disgrace when it comes to knowing the Law. Judge Elliott proves why lifetime appointments are a mistake. Most of the time he fails to grasp the basics.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32883
Rating:2.2
Comments:
A nuclear disaster. We lost the case because the other side literally lied to the court 26 times in four motions. On the only motion where we had the chance to address the lies, the court deferred decision. On the decision that ultimately decided the case, the court read the other side's lies and never read our opposition. We pointed this out in a motion for reconsideration and the court denied the motion without addressing the lies. We should have changed our client's name to Manafort.

Other

Comment #: 31296
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Ellis, very sad day for this country by what you did with Manafort. Only one message came out of your sentencing, & that is RACISM even hits the Judicial System. It's a disgrace!!!!!!

Other

Comment #: 31271
Rating:1.0
Comments:
"Justice is Blind" That's a crock of B.S.

Other

Comment #: 31232
Rating:2.0
Comments:
Shows good schools don’t always make good judges

Other

Comment #: 31231
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Aggressively demonstrated bias in the Manafort case from the very outset when all he needed to do was keep his mouth shut. As a former state appeals court judge, I am ashamed of this Judge Ellis.

Other

Comment #: 31226
Rating:1.0
Comments:
A travesty of injustice. Inequity in sentencing contributes to the moral decay of soceity. SHAME ON YOU. Resign and do a public service.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31216
Rating:10.0
Comments:
Research shows that most juries start out assuming someone is guilty before the trial begins. Sometimes all you have standing between you and injustice is a balanced, fair and ethical judge like Judge Ellis.

Other

Comment #: 31213
Rating:1.0
Comments:
47 months for Paul Manafort??? Disgusting and deplorable.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31212
Rating:10.0
Comments:
A triumph of good over pure badness. As another commentator stated below:

“As a criminal defense attorney for nearly 40 years, I have been appalled at the lack of ethics and jack-booted tactics .. ignoring basic Constitutional law and legal ethics. This country exists only because of Constitution and rule of law... I am proud that Judge Ellis is standing up for Lady Justice by seeing the abuses that have been taken place. I was a Democrat, and have been a Democratic candidate for office. I have resigned from the the Democratic party and am ashamed for having been associated with it. It has lost its way totally and completely, resorting to abuse of power to try to remain in power”

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31211
Rating:10.0
Comments:
In the court system, sometimes your life comes down to one man’s hands against the machine that’s the prosecution. Judge Ellis is fair.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31210
Rating:10.0
Comments:
Some judges are on a vendetta to punish or on a power trip to show how is boss. Judge Ellis demonstrates honorable reasonableness. He’s not out to ruin people’s lives for the sake of one mistake. Every American should welcome that.

Other

Comment #: 31208
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I’m a pre-law student and even I know Manafort deserves more time. You can rob, steal, cheat, and betray your country and still get less time than a simple drug charge. TS Ellis is obviously too old, unfit, and mentally incompetent of providing an impartial trial and sentencing.

Other

Comment #: 31203
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Ellis bias towards Manafort is clearly explained in an earlier case (USA vs Oleksii Deinega) when Judge Ellis expressed a similar connection during a court hearing on 10/27/2017 with the defendant as Judge Ellis' mother was also from the Soviet Union. Oleksii Deinega also received a lighter sentence.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 31198
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Crazy Bias you have shown your impartiality from day 1. Now you will go down in history as a biased judge

Other

Comment #: 31197
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
After Manafort sentencing you should retire.
What a slap to the face the the judicial system.
Whose side are you on?
Very pathetic

Other

Comment #: 31196
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This Caesar needs to be removed from bench. He's undermined our laws and has given a green light to encourage other traitors.

Other

Comment #: 31195
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Thomas should be ashamed.

Other

Comment #: 31194
Rating:3.0
Comments:
A fine picture of the results of income inequality. Any citizen with less means would receive a LONG sentence.
Wealthy convicted criminal gets let off with a kiss. Shades of william devereux zantzinger.
Shamefull behavior on the bench.
Another argument for term limits.
TS Ellis has become a partisan hack!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31193
Rating:10.0
Comments:
AMAZING JUDGE! This amazing judge prevented a man (Manafort) for being treated ridiculously harsh - the accused had the book thrown at him when most normal people would never have been treated so harshly. Thank GOD for Judge T.S. Ellis. Who else can protect the common man if not the judge! The USA totally over prosecutes and over imprisons people - no wonder the country jails more people than the rest of the world combined.

Other

Comment #: 31192
Rating:1.0
Comments:
My rating is actually ZERO! This judge is a joke and should be REMOVED FROM THE BENCH. Why do we have these old, old, white men on the bench anyway?

Other

Comment #: 31191
Rating:1.0
Comments:
You sentenced a Black Man for less crimes to 13 yrs. A Rich White Man you effectively gave 38 months?? You are the reason the system is broken. Retire. Disappear. Vanish. Go live in a happy retirement but just go.

Other

Comment #: 31190
Rating:1.0
Comments:
I am BEYOND disgusted at the sentence just given to Paul Manafort! This just ONCE AGAIN blatantly proves the corruption in our judicial system and that judges SHOULD NOT be appointed for life! This "judge" makes me want to vomit. What an utter joke.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31189
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This judge is biased and complicit. He has been compromised and should be investigated. There's no way that a criminal such as Paul Manafort should have received 47 months for his crimes against America! Disbarrment and an investigation should be in order. Now!!! He was aid off!

Other

Comment #: 31187
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge is the perfect example of why judges should not get a life time on the bench ! His obvious bias is in our face, This is rich white Justice bought and paid for..

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31186
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This is you: https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/398/2018/08/Ellis-Article-201808012326.jpg. I hope everyone knows that so that you cannot walk down the street for the rest of your sorry life without being heckled everywhere you go. You are a travesty.

Other

Comment #: 31185
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Completely disgusted by your Manafort decision. This decision will be known as your worst decision. Just like Trump, your background will be thoroughly examined. Did Trump or Putin get to you? Were you bought off? I have no idea what made you think that you could give Manafort 47 months for an entire life of crime and not expect blow back. You will regret this terrible decision.

Other

Comment #: 31184
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
There is nothing honorable about
you,just as there is nothing presidential as your corrupt
friend in our White House. You
are both senile and unfit to
serve the American people. Your
degree came from Wal-Mart.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31183
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Ellis, you are a disgrace to the ruke of law. I recently retired and worked my tail off my whole life and paid taxes to this gov faithfully and you let a obvious tax cheat,off with a shot of Blue. He committed bank fraud and we both k ow he conspired with the russians. Your bias and sentence in this case is a disgrace to the dule of laws and hard working americans like myself. Your rewarded this man for be a lengthy criminal with lots of evidence to prove yet you ignored this, why?? What you told americans today is its ok to cheat on your taxes and hide money fo the gov cause you'll face a slap on the wrist. You insulted every honest, tax-pying citizen and you are a disgrace to the bench sir. Step downn you no longer have the trust of the american taxpayer. You have made most of america ask if you are a biased federal judge and I say you are. I also wonder was there payment for your lienent sentence? Resign and restore judicial faith and honesty sir!!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31182
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Disgusting corrupt trump ass kissing republican. Should be kicked off the bench. Another immoral biased trump supporter. What a joke!!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31181
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Ellis has been an appalling spectacle in the Manafort trial, culminating in the most lenient sentence for a despicable man who has shown no remorse in court or otherwise. Ellis' clear bias against the prosecutors indicates he needs to leave the bench since he cannot follow his oath to ensure justice and even handedness in his handling of criminal trials such as these. Ellis' shameful behavior points to the fact that such judges should NOT be appointed for life.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31180
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Ellis has been an appalling spectacle in the Manafort trial, culminating in the most lenient sentence for a despicable man who has shown no remorse in court or otherwise. Ellis' clear bias against the prosecutors indicates he needs to leave the bench since he cannot follow his oath to ensure justice and even handedness in his handling of criminal trials such as these. Ellis' shameful behavior points to the fact that such judges should NOT be appointed for life.

Other

Comment #: 31178
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
SHAME ON YOU..... you good old boys stick together. I hope news media check into your background and come up with some good dirt on you sooner than later. Manafort frauds the US banks and we the tax payers foot the bill of millions of dollars. Oh, by the way, us tax payer do pay your salary. Hoping you can sleep soundly for the rest of your life knowing you have contributed to USA taxpayer debts.Hopefully, you will have your time on the other side of the bench on day. Good luck. Thanks for you un-justice today.

Other

Comment #: 31177
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Ellis: I must say, after your conduct during the Manafort trial, and now with the extraordinary light sentence handed down in your court today, that I am ashamed of your presence on this bench. As a proud graduate of William and Mary, as a proud member of the exteded US Navy family, and as an American who claims the historic birthright of truth and justice, again sir, I am ashamed of your performance in this matter and strongly suggest you revisit your oath of public service and protection of the greater public trust. You are the one who should be ashamed, but I fear you no longer ken the difference between politics and the law.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31175
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I am absolutely appalled, both by your demeanor during the Manafort trial and at the results of today's sentencing. You have let America down. You should be embarrassed and ashamed of yourself. You are a disgrace.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31174
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I am absolutely appalled, both by your demeanor during the Manafort trial and at the results of today's sentencing. You have let America down. You should be embarrassed and ashamed of yourself. You are a disgrace.

Other

Comment #: 31173
Rating:1.0
Comments:
You are a disgrace to the American jurisprudence system. You should be thrown off the bench. Manafort is a multigenerational criminal -- tax cheat, traitor, who most certainly has NOT led a blameless life. He is a morally bankrupt, horrible person -- as are you!! Wouldn't surprise me if you were a member of the KKK! You are either incredibly stupid or incredibly biased and corrupt -- or all of the preceding! You are a real piece of work! You are shemeful and an embarrassment to your country!!

Other

Comment #: 31172
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Thanks for letting Manafort skate. You are a steaming pile of partisan crap and the sooner you drop dead, the better. DISGRACEFUL!

Other

Comment #: 31171
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This “judge” should be investigated by the FBI!

Other

Comment #: 31170
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge suffers from cerebral rectal inversion. As it relates to the Manafort sentencing, how could this dishonorable judge stated Manafort led a blameless life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ellis is a disgrace to the bench

Other

Comment #: 31169
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge suffers from cerebral rectal inversion. As it relates to the Manafort sentencing, how could this dishonorable judge stated Manafort led a blameless life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ellis is a disgrace to the bench

Other

Comment #: 31168
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
YOU are a DISGRACE to our legal system - and this country.

Other

Comment #: 31167
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Why is white collar crime treated differently than minority crime.

I’m upper middle class and resent the tax dollars Manafort stole from me.

I pay my taxes ~ don’t hide cash in multiple banks.

Manafort did not lead an otherwise blameless life.

Disgusted.

Other

Comment #: 31166
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Manafort sentence is a slap in the face to the American people. How dare you! Your ignoring Mueller’s recommendation and the evidence presented validates why we have little confidence in the judicial system? I am so angry at this I could scream, and I’m just an average citizen. You, sir, are a disgrace.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 31165
Rating:6.2
Comments:
If you look up the definition of "White Privilege" there's a cozy photo of TS Ellis and Paul Manafort toasting shots of JW Blue Label. Shameful.

Other

Comment #: 31163
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Manafort is a traitor and Judge ellis rewarded him. he described a criminal as having a blameless life and encourage future politician to follow Manafort example and not fear the consequences.
Shame on you Judge Ellis for rewarding criminal
Shame on YOU

Other

Comment #: 31162
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Manafort charged with 8 felonies committed over many years-fraud, cheating the government and banks, lying to prosecutors, witness tampering (even after indicted), unregistered foreign agent...a "mostly blameless life"? You completely disregarded legal sentencing guidelines. A completely biased ruling for a white, elite, elderly male Republican-sounds just like you. With your bias and disregard of an appropriate sentence for crimes committed I do hope you will soon be off the bench.

Other

Comment #: 31160
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Good job with Manafort comrade!!

Other

Comment #: 31159
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Shame on you for sentencing one of the worst white collar criminals in our country to only 47 months. You have acted irresponsible in making this kind of shameful sentence. He is a convicted felon, many times over. You alone have set a very bad precedence for others. SHAME ON YOU!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31158
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Should be investigated and removed/ impeached as a federal judge immediately for his bias in the Manfort case. Unforgivable!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 31157
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Should be investigated and removed/ impeached as a federal judge immediately for his bias in the Manfort case. This is a shame.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 26358
Rating:2.0
Comments:
Never been too good at this.!

Other

Comment #: 26357
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This judge is OBVIOUSLY biased in the Manafort case. You don't see him arguing with the defense attorneys. Telling someone to not roll their eyes, etc. This just is a narcissist in the worst way and should NOT be involved in this case at all!

Prosecutor

Comment #: 26269
Rating:1.0
Comments:
The definition of an activist judge. He is allowing his ego to interfere with his judgment. It is obvious that he has interests to preserve in this case. He is not impartial, he seems to think we should respect the Russian oligarchs as our betters. That Manafort's relationship with dictators and oligarchs is not germane to this case. He is a jackbooted thug running roughshod over American justice.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 26018
Rating:5.4
Comments:
A man whose ideas and time has over extended their want.

Will he allow treason to keep his political friends in power?

Will he face the "Me Too" walk of shame?Time will tell in each instance. Time we cannot afford to be wasted.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 25974
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Ellis should remove himself if he doesn't want to do his job. He wants to hurry the Manafort trial along not taking into consideration that this trial is serious and this man's life is important. I'm no fan of Manafort because I think he is guilty. Instead of being petty Judge Ellis should take a look at how president Trump is tampering with the jury and interfering in a trial. I'm sure this is a crime yet the Judge is doing nothing. Why won't he sequester the jury or order the president to shut up? If he does nothing he should step down immediately.

Other

Comment #: 25945
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This judge shows bias every time he opens his mouth. If you don’t take treason seriously,
recuse yourself. You should be impeached.

Other

Comment #: 25659
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Ellis should recuse himself from the Manafort matter since he doesn't apparently doesn't take Manafort's treason seriously.

Litigant

Comment #: 25354
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Agree with all other comments. Ellis should have stepped down years ago or been impeached himself. He is antagonistic and adversarial, especially along party lines making a point in one trial to bring up he was appointed by Reagan. It is time for him to step down.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 25353
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This guy is clearly a delusional Trump Supporter. Why bring up Trump and state Mueller is attempting impeachment (which only congress has the ability to do) in Manafort's trial?

This judge showed his hand. He must recuse himself from this case.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 25352
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
As a criminal defense attorney for nearly 40 years, I have been appalled at the lack of ethics and jack-booted tactics of Robert Mueller's team and the ignoring of basic Constitutional law and legal ethics. This country exists only because of Constitution and rule of law - the special Counsel has stomped it and ground it into the dirt for too long. I am proud that Judge Ellis is standing up for Lady Justice by seeing the abuses that have been taken place. I was a Democrat, and have been a Democratic candidate for office. I have resigned from the the Democratic party and am ashamed for having been associated with it. It has lost its way totally and completely, resorting to abuse of power to try to remain in power. As far as I am concerned, the appointment of the Special Counsel in the manner it was is one of the biggest embarrassments in American jurisprudence. My former Democrat colleagues who have been a part of this fiasco should be remember the adage, 'those who live by the sword shall die by the sword' as it appears its sharp edge has turned and they have set the precedence to have it visited upon them ten-fold.

Other

Comment #: 25350
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
U.S. Senior Judge T.S. Ellis II, as a concerned citizen of the US, I demand that a fair trail is held without consideration to political party lines as our Constitution states. Your attack against Robert Mueller’s team and your noted support for Donald Trump have crossed the line. You are well aware of the dishonesty and illegal practices of those working with and for Donald Trump. You are also aware of the lies and legal issues conducted by President Trump and his administration with the facts that provided multiple times each day. You sir, are to work for the country not party-lines or favor individuals. I give you notice, as I am entitled to as a citizen of the country I love the US. Sincerely Mona Worsham

Other

Comment #: 25348
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Based on what this Judge did in court today and the way in which he became adversarial with the prosecution team was on more of a personal note than proper and reasonable adjudication while in a court setting. It is my firm belief the Federal Judge T.S. Eliis lll should RECUSE himself from any further federal legal proceeding as it's clear he has a bias toward the Special US Prosecutor Office along political lines and has miserably failed in show his ability to provide impartial evaluation in this or any other future pretrial hearings. If he cannot enforce the spirit and proper respect of the rule of law in a court room setting. Nor show proper court decorum while presiding on the bench. Then it's vehemently clear that he needs to step down and let another Judge proceed.

Other

Comment #: 25347
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Judge Ellis, like all judges, is supposed to be a neutral arbitrator between the prosecution and the defense. His comments, or rather his biased personal opinions, in court today (May 4, 2018) in relation to Paul Manafort and the Mueller investigation were completely inappropriate and unprofessional. He had not even read the document from Rod Rosenstein which addresses the scope of the Mueller investigation. An elderly and biased Republican judge should no longer be on the bench.

Other

Comment #: 23365
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Ill-informed as to what constitutes historically documented non-vanilla sexuality. Aware of *Lawrence* but ruled that it does not affirm a fundamental liberty of choice in consensual sexual conduct (Doe v. Rector & Visitors of George Mason Univ.), saying that BDSM lacks a history -- a parochial and ignorant misstatement of the actual precedent for such conduct. Of course, plaintiff misbehaved badly according to the standards of the BDSM community but deciding which party to a dispute is right and then constructing a reason for doing so ex post facto, while long accepted practice in rabbinical courts, seems wonky jurisprudence in a secular state. That his argument in Doe rests substantially on his citation of a Scalia dissent renders it particularly odious. Doe may have been a bad hat who egregiously violated the culture of his school, but he was entitled to due process all the same, and Judge Ellis, in gratuitously injecting his ill-informed fantasies about BDSM into the proceedings, seems to have indulged in the very sort of judicial activism" his fellow right-of-center jurists are do fond of decrying in their liberal colleagues, even as he overlooked possible lines of argument that might have produced a just remedy without resorting to establishing flawed precedent that will only have to be repaired later. Granted, there must always be someone who is the smartest man in the room unless one has a room entirely filled with clones; but if so, one must expect that man to have done his homework, which Judge Ellis clearly failed to do here. Perhaps it is time for him to collect his gold watch and go fly his beloved aeroplanes instead.

Other

Comment #: 23085
Rating:1.0
Comments:
In dropping the case against the NSA, Ellis becomes one of the greatest traitors of the American pepole in this country's history.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22605
Rating:9.8
Comments:
In granting an injunction against Operation Rescue's peaceful abortion business blockades, he described the lawsuit as "a simple trespass case, only modestly complicated by an unsettled question of federal law." He got reversed on that unsettled question when we sought review at the Supreme Court. But I never felt him to be mean-spirited, ungentlemanly or unfair.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 19787
Rating:4.8
Comments:
He makes up his mind based on purported facts represented to him by one side and then crafts an opinion to support that result, rather than have the result flow from supported facts and applicable precedent.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 19595
Rating:3.6
Comments:
the worst and most abusive judge i have seen in 30 years of practice. i have practiced in 20 states state and federal and i have never seen anything like it. it was intentional and mean spirited. he abused lawyers and experts, always on the plaintiff side. his conduct was inexcusable. he is not the smartest person in the room though at 5 feet and change he is still the biggest bully i have ever seen.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 18105
Rating:5.3
Comments:
He is convinced that he is the smartest man in the room. Therefore, he stops listening once he has made up his mind. While Judge Ellis is very smart, he is not near as smart as he thinks he is.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 10123
Rating:5.0
Comments:
Would be a much better judge if only more pleasant. generally cranky and biased which often overshadows his hard work and good brain.

Other

Comment #: 9670
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
showed that he was far from objective by dismissing the AIPAC espionage case and compromising United States sovereignty.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 8442
Rating:4.6
Comments:
Extremely intelligent -- brilliant, perhaps. Unfortunately, he ends up being an extra prosecutor. Cannot believe he was ever a defense attorney as he claims. Wish he was not so arrogant and pro-government. It is bad for defendants, as it does not make the government work at all. Thus one of the main reasons the quality of EDVA AUSAs is so low.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6520
Rating:8.2
Comments:
When Friday motion day comes in his courtroom, it is obvious that Judge Ellis is the smartest man in the room. Unfortunately, he will frequently make it plain that he knows he's the smartest man in the room, and act accordingly. Few judges have his encyclopedic knowledge of case law, and fewer still will show his level of familiarity with the pleadings you submit to him - so you can't usually slip a fast one by him. The fact that he is so very bright and quick, however, can sometimes be a drawback when he mercilessly interrogates one of our less-skilled litigating brethren. I have found him to be relatively even-handed when dealing with private litigants, but when the government is involved he shows a definite pro-government inclination. This is one judge you want to avoid angering, because his temper can sometimes be volcanic. However, he seems to not hold a permanent grudge if you set him off, assuming that you show a respectful level of groveling.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 6186
Rating:4.2
Comments:
He's good for those who cooperate, and terrible for all other criminal defendants. He is extremely arrogant in style and very self-absorbed. But he can have a sense of humor from time to time.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5277
Rating:5.8
Comments:
Can be arrogant and demeaning if he doesn't know you; gets complex rulings right but loves to show off his deep belief in himself. He will read your brief and won't accept bad citations. If you catch him on a rare day good-mood-wise, consider yourself lucky.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 3921
Rating:5.4
Comments:
Big boy scout that could not practice law and who has the highest opinion of himself on record.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 2833
Rating:7.0
Comments:
Needs to prove that he is the smartest person in the courtroom. Usually, he is.