"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Kevin E. McKenney	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
Santa Clara County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 4.1 - 5 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 1 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

Add your own rating

E-Mail Address ()

Confirm E-mail Address

Zip

Occupation

Add a comment only

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. Kevin E. McKenney

Comments

Litigant

Comment #: CA3640
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge demands me to have attorney to represent me. He offers no justice to litigants without attorney. He is a mean judge unless you have a young female attorney to represnt you.
He is very biased and doesn't rule laws by laws. He ruled on his own minds. He is a judicial waste because litigants often have to appeal their cases.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA3321
Rating:3.0

Comments:
Unusually high threshold of proof before he will approve an application for service by publication. Refused to approve an application by an assignee without authentication of the contract by the assignor. Refused to compare signature of defendant on contract with defendant's signature on a recorded document.

Other

Comment #: CA2874
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This rating is only effective to today's CMC hearing (10-9-12)

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA2640
Rating:2.6

Comments:
Kevin is a below average judge. Like many judges, he took the bench to escape the hard work of civil litigation, only to realize that being a judge is just as much work. He became eligible to retire in 2011. There are many who wish he would retire. His rulings are largely based on his personal feelings, not the applicable law. He is incredibly unpredictable. He makes inconsistent rulings on identical issues in different cases, based on reasons known only to him. He dislikes younger attorneys, unless they happen to be attractive young ladies. He obviously hates everything about his job except the small power it gives him. Without a robe, he is just another miserable old man with a ridiculous bow-tie.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1640
Rating:4.0

Comments:
Kevin is a good Judge to pull if you have practiced in this county since be was appointed to the bench or if you're a Santa Clara, Santa Clara or Boalt Hall graduate. He has a hearing loss, so make sure your points are clearly laid out in your documents so he does not appear to miss an issue on appeal. He could care less for liberal lawyers requesting accommodations for their clients or themselves with accommodation issues as he has stated at private events if he has to deal with his physical issues on his own, why can't they do the same?

Never interrupt him or disagree with his rulings as that is a an unforgivable sin. If you have him during Xmas, a quiet bottle of Dewar's Blue via his bailiff or clerk may not be unhelpful, under the pretense the gift is for the courtroom staff. He will use prior court opinions or dicta in an opposite manner to assist parties who are people like us, South Bay attorneys. He is meticulous to maintain a clean court transcript, knowing he is often appealed.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1490
Rating:1.8

Comments:
This judge has a chip on his shoulder, does not take any information provided into consideration and makes decisions based on his perception of the parties involved. His opinions are typically unfair to both parties, he does not discriminate with his unjust decisions. It appears he hates his job and it shows with his demeanor in court. He should not be a judge. He is doing the court and the public a disservice.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA361
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Very bright, careful, considerate judge. Does his own independent research and seems to treat parties very fairly. Good temperament and nice courtroom demeanor. Treats counsel with respect. Impressive judge.