"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Mel Red Recana	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
Los Angeles County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 5.0 - 14 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 4.0 - 2 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. Mel Red Recana

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA41230
Rating:1.9

Comments:
One of two things is true. Either this judge is biased, or the rigors of the job have become too much for him to handle. He makes up law, and when you bring it to his attention he sits there quietly and smiles at you. He ignores established facts if he needs to in order to reach his desired result, and when you bring it to his attention he sits there quietly and smiles at you. His presence o the bench is a real disservice to the system, and to those who rely on it for evenhanded justice. Ding him.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA40762
Rating:1.4

Comments:
His law clerk writes the tentatives. He sits there looking bored while the parties make oral argument then reads off the tentative ruling. Can barely even hear him on the record and he sounds sleepy/intoxicated. Time for this guy to retire.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA39347
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Great judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA37773
Rating:2.6

Comments:
I agree with the comments that he is a nice guy, but I'd rather have a capable judge. He doesn't read the briefs, he normally is not prepared. His rulings are vague. He is forgetful. He doesn't listen well. He is extremely deferential to pro pers to the point of prejudicing the defense. His hearings are now set out 8-12 months, but he won't entertain ex parte appearances. I plan to ding this judge until he retires, which should have happened a long time ago.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA36528
Rating:4.3

Comments:
Judge Recana should have retied long ago. He is forgetful, He loses focus. If he rules against you one day, he will let you bring the issue up the next, forget his ruling, and decide the issue differently later. A nice man, but he sometimes has no idea what the arguments are or about and you can see a blank stare during oral argument. Much respect, but he needs to step down.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA13003
Rating:9.4

Comments:
He may be one of the best judges I've been before. I don't think there's a nicer one at Stanley Mosk. I think his judicial style is to sit-back and let the lawyers have it out (to a point). For both sides, that's more than fair. He makes decent rulings and explains himself. He gives opportunity for argument with an open-mind. And my client didn't even win the case in his courtroom.

His attendant is tough as a boot, though. Mean too. Which is odd, since Recana's clerk is also an extremely nice guy.

If you get assigned to Dept. 45, expect a fair and pleasant experience.

Other

Comment #: CA12904
Rating:8.0

Comments:
Use all the legal jargon and tactics you want but I believe this judge instinctively listens to all and will decide and award based on the merits of honesty and integrity.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA10830
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Lazy. Doesn't read pleadings. Doesn't follow law. Not too bright.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA10631
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This guy has lots of problems and is not fit to serve as a Judge. The biggest problem is he is lazy and does not follow the law. Complicated motions are a big problem as he will not read them and counts heavily on his law clerk to write tentatives. The clerk does not understand the law and as a result rulings are far from fair and just.

He is not afraid to issue a poor ruling as he believes the appellate court will support him regardless of how wrong he might be. Unfortunately in District 2 this is likely true.

Other

Comment #: CA9610
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I was appalled after what Ive seen at the Compton Courtroom. To much talking bout what a nice guy he is...but Not about how he is as a judge...and to buddy buddy w/the attorneys.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA8973
Rating:8.4

Comments:
Very experienced.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA2654
Rating:4.1

Comments:
Judge Recana's strength is his judicial temperament. There isn't a nicer judge out there. However, his knowledge of the law, particularly the Evidence Code, is seriously lacking. At trial, he tends to let everything in and rarely sustains even legitimate evidentiary objections

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1138
Rating:1.0

Comments:
He wrote and published a book, "HOW TO TRY YOUR CASE IN COURT AND WIN", but he hates self-represented litigants. DOES NOT PRACTICE WHAT HE PREACHES!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA1103
Rating:6.4

Comments:
He is basically a nice guy. However, I agree that he disregards civil procedure and case precedent. He does not seem to be afraid of being reversed on appeal. Keep that in mind. I would say that he is pro-plaintiff in civil litigation, at least until you get to trial.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1091
Rating:8.1

Comments:
Great judge and a great guy all around.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1076
Rating:1.4

Comments:
Never prepared, hearings drag on forever and it will take months to get a ruling if ever. disregards all civil procedure and case precedent. Extremely plaintiff oriented.