"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Matthew C Braner	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
San Diego County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 3 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 2.0 - 13 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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Only items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating.

General Rating Criteria

* 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=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Matthew C Braner

Comments

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA53201
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This guy is looney tunes. He forgets who is who. Seems like he's taking uppers and downers at the same time. Clueless on the law. Told another litigant he doesn't care about federal law. Corrupt as hell. 170.6 asap. You've been warned.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA52620
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Unlike most people who only review someone when they have a negative experience, to balance out the negative comments, I think that Judge Braner is one of the better judges we have on the superior court. He always reads the papers. He almost always issues tentative rulings. When he needs more time to decide an issue, he takes it. He tries to resolve issues proactively as opposed to forcing the parties to file motions. He does not always rule in my favor but his rulings are never without logic, even if I disagree.

Litigant

Comment #: CA40374
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Just like all the others have said, Braner is biased, prejudiced, incompetent, and lazy. The best advice is to remove him from the case. If you happen to be on the "good side" of his bias, the case will be lost on appeal because of his incompetence, so everyone should remove him from their cases, and he should be disbarred and left to starve in the streets outside of the court a toothless and penniless victim of plague. He is without ethics and morals in his rulings and attitudes. Remember, there is no honor among thieves, and he is a criminal sociopath who will sell you out with no worries just like anyone else, depending on his sick mind's moods and fluctuating blood sugar levels. Sick

Litigant

Comment #: CA26243
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I was unable to afford an attorney and I have been representing myself in what should have been a very simple divorce, filed in June of 2016 and still crawling along. Braner is the definitive ‘little man’. Like Barney Fife on the days Andy let him keep a bullet in his pocket, Brainer clearly enjoys flexing his unearned power. He not only directly insulted me several times, but when I questioned some of his nonsense and the clerk verified I was right, his ego went into overdrive and he never listened to another thing I said or presented, then slapped me with inordinate legal fees and allowed my ex to move our son to WA based on her false pretenses about being employed. She earned less than $800 over the subsequent two years. I would like to see legislation that requires incompetent judges like this to wear powdered wigs while in court. If they think they can look down on us from their stand, in their robes (really? Robes?) and pass judgement without any regard for the facts or precedent, then they should have to wear the full costume. It might humble them enough to be compassionate, and fair in court.

Litigant

Comment #: CA23777
Rating:1.0

Comments:
No regard for due process, evidence or legalities. King Braner thinks he is omnipotent, so why bother with a hearing. Before I ever had a hearing, Braner told my attorney in closed session that he made up his mind and would give the opposing party whatever they wanted! He should be removed from the bench. He is an embarrassment to the Democratic Party and everyone involved in getting him appointed to the bench.

Other

Comment #: CA22165
Rating:1.0

Comments:
He does not look at evidence and he ignores very important evidence. He should not be able to ruin peoples life like this! I would give a (0) if I could. How do people like this get these positions. It is a travesty.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA20442
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The plaintiff submitted an eight-sentence statement of fact (all pro se). Without so much as allowing appropriate legal delay or confirming the other party had been served, Braner signed the judgment. He further dismissed any attempts to point out the perjury and falsified statements as the opposing side vying for an advantage.

The said plaintiff is now being investigated for submitting a forged psych evaluation that was the main support used for competence in caring for a child.

As someone said below, this man is dangerous. The impression I get from both he and his wife is elitism. They seem to think they are above the people in the region they serve. It's a shame that it stops Matthew Braner from fairness and impartiality in the practice of law.

Litigant

Comment #: CA19991
Rating:1.0

Comments:
After enough complaints of bias from defense lawyers and litigants, as well as severe censure from other judges, it is no wonder that Matthew Braner was removed from Family Court. Children across San Diego can now rejoice. It is no accident that the majority of his reviews are the very lowest possible. I have never met a more arrogant person in the legal field.

Other

Comment #: CA19735
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Thorough. Compassionate. I was very disheartened when Judge Braner was transferred out of family court. He made every effort to call my son by his name and understand the difficult circumstances even as he applied the law. Family law takes empathy. Judge Braner demonstrates empathy on very high levels.

Litigant

Comment #: CA17740
Rating:1.0

Comments:
A terrible judge and a terrible human being. My biggest issue with this sorry excuse for a judge is that he REFUSES TO READ EVIDENCE. (Newsflash Matthew Curt Braner: That is your JOB. Are you that lazy?) Matthew Braner just goes with whatever he thinks matches the status quo regardless of how it conflicts with the facts. More interested in covering his own a ss and position than practicing or administering the law.

Other

Comment #: CA17339
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
He seems to have understood the evidence of the traffic officer's faulty testimony, and he seems to have accepted appellant's arguments during the court oral argument. But when makes his final minute order, he completely ignored the evidences talked during the session and checked the Affirmed box with irrelevant reasons.

Concur with previous reviews here. It's a sign of our broken system that a person like this was ever appointed to this field in the first place.

In the words of Alan Dershowitz:
"Judges are the WEAKEST LINK in our justice system - and they are also the most protected." Judge Matthew Curt Braner is living, pathetic proof that this statement is true.

Other

Comment #: CA17076
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The very first review listed here pretty much summarizes what this judge is capable of. This judge will side with the proven PERJURER before he is ever willing to admit that he was in the wrong. Making critical decisions based solely on superficial first impressions is what makes this judge so scary. In my case, he went through the motions of the trial but seemed amused the whole time because he had already made up his mind. He cherry-picked through evidence not to get to the truth, but to pick out points that supported the decision he had already made up in his mind! It didn't even matter if it was heresay. How is this practicing the law?! I've never seen such a travesty of justice. He literally refused to read a social worker report until forced to do so under the behest of another judge. Matthew Braner has no business in family law - it's a sign of our broken system that a person like this was ever appointed to this field in the first place. It would be one thing if he impartially considered both sides in full and one of the adults merely "lost"; however, innocent children are being caught in the crosshairs of his arrogance. Not to mention, the perjurer now feels emboldened by the endorsement of "the court," when it was literally this lone judge refusing to admit his initial error. Lone ranger judges should not have the power to play with people's lives this way. There is something wrong when a judge exploits people's unawareness of their rights and feels untouchable in his position. It feels evil. The idea that Matthew C. Braner has gotten away with this for so long is beyond me.

In the words of Alan Dershowitz: "Judges are the WEAKEST LINK in our justice system - and they are also the most protected." Judge Matthew Curt Braner is living, pathetic proof that this statement is true.

Litigant

Comment #: CA17037
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Incompetent, biased, and possibly a deviant. This kangaroo court judge issued a TRO against petitioner behind his back in an unnoticed ex parte based on double hearsay evidence by litigious ex spouse. The evidence was proven false within 2 weeks by CWS, but to save his own face Braner stayed but refused to dismiss the TRO, instigating 8 months and $150,000 of POINTLESS litigation. During this time Braner forced petitioner to divulge private text messages and emails with ex-girlfriend who happened to be an attorney in Braner's court, and which had NO BEARING on the case! Not sure if this judge is an imbecile, a pervert, or both. San Diego can breathe sigh of relief he has been removed from family court!

Other

Comment #: CA16843
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This is the laziest, most egotistical judge I have ever had the misfortune of encountering. Once he has an idea in his head, he refuses to look at any other evidence. He jumped the gun and signed an initial order with no evidence, and then was embarrassed when an out-of-state judge intervened. We had an emergency protective order from another judge, but because he insisted it was his jurisdiction, he chose to disregard it. Literally the same thing happened to us as what happened to the user who posted on August 2018. Whole sections of discovery and time-stamped reports from other officials completely ignored. This is not a game or a joke. I would not be posting if this was not serious. I am currently investigating what can be done and I will not stop until this is investigated.

Other

Comment #: CA16332
Rating:10.0

Comments:
As an observer during a hearing related to my father’s divorce I was impressed with Judge Braners quick grasp and clear preparation. He understood how my 90-year-old father was being exploited by his successor trustee and did his best to be fair with the 56-year-old wife, even though she openly referred to my dad as Uncle, and admitted to gambling away tens of thousands of dollars. Others have posted disparaging reviews, because it seems, they were unhappy with outcomes. My father died before his divorce could be finished. There is no worse outcome, but Judge Braner didn’t cause my dad’s death; however, had dad’s successor trustee been listening to the Judge, he might have done more to protect dad and allowed him to live his last days in his home with his family who loved him.

Other

Comment #: CA14404
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Our daughter was granted a restraining order by another judge against ex-boyfriend to protect herself and her infant after an assault that put her in the hospital and endangered the baby.

The ex-boyfriend complained that the order was unfair and requested an immediate hearing. Judge Braner refused to look at any of the details surrounding the ongoing case. He granted visitation with the baby in spite of the restraining order that is still in effect.

This guy is dangerous!

Other

Comment #: CA13708
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Not a fair judge. Incompetent. he make the judgment based on his arrogance not law book. he is treating parties unfairly and ignoring the evidence. San Diego County mayor should think again about an incompetent, unfair person like him on the bench.

It is a shame Judge Braner that your ego doesn't let you not see the evidence.

Litigant

Comment #: CA12693
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Helplessly overwhelmed all the time, which just demonstrates his arrogance and laziness. He refuses to read evidence, then cuts off discussion attempting to educate him on the matter before him. He makes critical decisions based on hearsay evidence. Worse than flying by the seat of his pants, his arrogance leads him to make decisions based upon shallow personality perceptions or maintaining the status quo despite efforts to get him to act upon the traumatic harm to children by an excessively restrictive custodian who repeatedly violates orders. All he needs to do is ensure equal custodial time and create consequences for parents that violate orders. His arrogance to treat parties unfairly while ignoring evidence is outrageous.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA12284
Rating:1.0

Comments:
worst judge ever - incompetent all around, anything but impartial. 1 is too high a rating. Concur with the other reviews here.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA12024
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Expected much more out of Judge Braner given his history as a public defender. However, unfortunately he has become a sell out to the establishment like most judges. What a shame for someone we all had high hopes for.

Other

Comment #: CA9764
Rating:1.0

Comments:
What an incompetent lazy judge. I was in his courtroom during a hearing wherein the plaintiff on the phone was blatantly caught in her lie that she had not been served the Motion of Reconsideration hearing becasue she had never been served a TRO and therefore judgement by default of 4 years was set against her. The grandmother brought sworn statements and even the witness present that she was with when daughter served her. The daughter already lied to the judge and he called her on it AND then he turned around and told the grandmother she did not have the evidence to prove she had not been served???? How's tha, Judge Brainless? The daughter perjured herself and the grandmother had emails in habd that the daighters boyfriend sent that morning reading that she says she was in LA and never served and you denied the motion!!!!!!!!!!!! Fire yourself, your senile or plain stupid.

If I could score him a -10 that would be appropriate. Judges should not have the power to play with lives and base decision via their own ego and disinterest and most of all lack of any details of the case. ZERO. Basically He refused eveidence and went with the perjurer. Good move Judge Brainless