"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Joyce M. Cram	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
Contra Costa County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 3.4 - 7 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 3.0 - 8 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

What others have said about Hon. Joyce M. Cram

Comments

Litigant

Comment #: CA3827
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Cram is just another facet in the anti-parent squad down in Martinez. This is a small time court in a wealthy county. There is no obligation to follow procedure or even recognize the local rules. I had to sit in court and listen to this sorry excuse for a woman reprimand my attorney for arguing that CFS and the court investigator FAILED to transfer my case over to dependency court. Nonchalantly responding by stating that over in dependency court they are too full and would simply bounce the case back to her!? UNACCEPTABLE. She may THINK she knows her way around the system - but it's only based on her perverse terms and has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LAW. Judge Cram...Hollywood is calling you! They're doing a sequel to The Wizard Of Oz and they need more characters for Munchkinland. Don't worry...your dayjob won't be missing you - nor will the litigants fortunate enough to see you off the roster. You are not liked or respected by any attorney I have spoken to. They cringe when I tell them who my judge was. Literally.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA3762
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge needs to be removed. She is irrational. Attorneys says she is a nightmare.

Litigant

Comment #: CA3454
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Unprofessional, highly emotional, does not follow the law. Very disorganized. more interested in having halloween parties with the staff then litigating cases.

Other

Comment #: CA3063
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Saved my family from potential harm of my Ex. During the decision of who would be the official Judge, every time I had to go to court, my case rotated between 3 Judges. All of the other temporary Judges would NOT make a decision and kept scheduling another mediation date a month later. She was able to make an actual decision, as a Judge should be able to do, without continuing to go back to Mediation for the 4th time, because my Ex did not go to Mediation 3 times in a row. THANK YOU JUDGE CRAM!

Other

Comment #: CA2699
Rating:1.0

Comments:
unprofessional emotional

Other

Comment #: CA2452
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Judge Cram is very direct and sticks with the law. I have been trying for 6 months to get 100% custody of my children. Their Mother was a drug addict who did anything and everything to delay the court procedures. Every Judge that I have had in this case has not cared to speed up the process in solving matters. They didnt even care that their Mother lied to them under oath! All they would do is schedule another Mediation date and another court date a month down the line. Judge Cram read up on the case prior to my hearing unlike the other judges. I am so thankful that Judge Cram was present at this hearing. She not only seemed involved in what was happening, she put in an order that very day. I feel that the justice system has finally been put in place to protect my children. Thank you Superior Court for having a Judge who knows what they are actually doing!!!

Other

Comment #: CA2424
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge took my son away without any proof of danger or wrong doing. I was not able to appear in court and was told by opposing counsel that the hearing would only deal with the change of venue. Neither party in the case had even resided in Contra Costa County for over three years. The previous judge, Huffaker had ordered the parties see the co-parenting counselor a minimum of three times before he would even hear a motion an decide whether or not to accept the counselors recommendations before making any changes to our son't custody arrangements. My son is suffering tremendously while I get this back in court to be heard again. She needs to go back to Elder court where she came from.

Other

Comment #: CA1827
Rating:1.0

Comments:
the worst judge of all time. doesn't follow the law, unprofessional, arrogant, denies litigants of their civil rights. has no regard for children's best interest. this judge should be disbarred.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1738
Rating:2.0

Comments:
This Woman is amazing in more ways than I can describe.I'll always carry a blank 170.6 in my pocket just incase she pops up in my life again.

Other

Comment #: CA1644
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge does not follow the law and makes her own decisions on what she thinks is right. After pointing out to her that this guardianship case should have been referred over to CPS, she shrugged and said, they have to much work as it is so she wouldnt refer it over to them as the laws says to

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1313
Rating:4.1

Comments:
Judge Cram has a reputation among litigation attorneys as -
(a) arrogant to the attorneys whom appear before her;
(b) more concerned about judicial efficiency than the merits of the case;
(c) often unprepared during law and motion and settlement conferences;
(d) does not understand family dynamics concerning children and parenting;
(e) unsympathetic to those who appear before her; and
(f) not knowledgeable concerning the law.

Sadly, Judge Cram's arrogance and demeanor on the bench has left her unaware of how other attorneys and her fellow jurists view her both within the courthouse and at professional functions.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1135
Rating:5.4

Comments:
Judge Cram is very biased in favor of defendants in civil personal injury and employment litigation.