Hon. Kathleen M. Pantle See Rating Details
Subcircuit Judge
Circuit Court
Cook County
Cook Judicial Circuit
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Attorney Average Rating:   2.6 - 18 rating(s)
Non-Attorney Average Rating:   2.0 - 6 rating(s)
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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. Kathleen M. Pantle


Comments


Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL2687
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
This Judge is very biased against people of color, even as the plaintiff, this Judge attacked me and my attorney from the very start of of our case.
She allowed the case to linger on and on for 7 years, only to finally rule against us which nearly sent me and my family in to bankrupcy.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL2335
Rating:2.0
Comments:
Lacks the necessary intellectual skills and background to be sitting in a civil chancery courtroom. Unable to look people in the eye for some reason. Usually has a handful of cases in the morning and is gone for the day. Unfortunately, it is not to do research or educate herself on the law or issues.

I agree with all the negative comments regarding her bias and lack of fairness to both sides.

Other

Comment #: IL2268
Rating:1.0
Comments:
I would say this judge was totally bias towards the attorney of board of directors in a condo case. The president and Vice President of the board has been paying them self and have not provided financials statements in years. We voted them out twice the first time we went before judge pantel and wher there should be 5 members which we voted in, judge pantel decided the two of them should run the board until we have a new election. We had a new election and voted them out again. We went back before judge pantel and she that as the board they should be allowed to vote on behalf of condos owned by the home owners association, which is totally against out bylaws. Allowing them to vote on behalf of the units allowed them to get 6-8 more votes for them selves. Looking her ruling I can bias at best.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: IL2239
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Kathleen Pantle is very bias toward people of color!

Other

Comment #: IL2237
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This is the most one-sided judge I have ever seen in a court room. In a motion pertaining to me she even quoted what the other party stated and not what I said. I cannot not believe what I experienced in her court room!!!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL1888
Rating:1.5
Comments:
I've been an attorney for 3 decades now and been in front of every judge in the Daley Center. Pantle is easily one of the worst judges in the building. She has probably the lightest court call of any judge in the building, let alone the 24th floor, yet she is never prepared. She reads nothing, constantly fails to issue a timely opinion and almost always takes things "under advisement" which translates to her failing to do her job.

The worse part is she doesn't understand the law and has no business in civil court. She was a public defender and for those that don't know, this generally means the person who graduated near the bottom of their law school class whom no one wanted to hire. Her experience in criminal court is of no use in civil court.

Her temperament is fine, but she is very passive aggressive and dismissive in that she will listen to one side then ignore the other while rifling through papers or pretending to read something in an unrelated case.

Few actual attorneys I know who are routinely before her respect her.

Even though she has routinely ruled in my favor as a defense attorney, I still have to say that it is a shame and an embarrassment to retain her as a judge as most practicing attorneys have 10x her legal acumen and experience and she has no business being a judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL1352
Rating:8.0
Comments:
My experience with Judge Pantle has been excellent. I have had only 2 business litigation matters before her and won both of them. Both cases were appealed and both were affirmed. I found her to be courteous and respectful to the attorneys, knowledgable and took the time to READ everything before ruling and provided lengthly, well written orders on dispositive motions.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: IL1150
Rating:2.1
Comments:
This judge's demeanor is not that of a judicial officer in her position and her courtroom demeanor does not command respect. Her rulings take political interests and interferences over the fair rule of law. She is not impartial, fair, or informed and does not have the acumen to be a judge.

Other

Comment #: IL1149
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Not very fair and goes along with political interests and not judicial impartiality. Also does not have a demeanor commensurate with that of her office. Bad choice for retention.....!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: IL1016
Rating:1.0
Comments:
She allowed contractors that sold a home we refuse to take due to irregularities to claim bankruptcy and not return the money we put into it. They sold the home for over 1 million dollars and we only wanted the $300 thousand we put into it for changes and they refused to do it claiming bankruptcy which wasn't even on file. She's as dishonest as the contractors and the lawyers that represented us-(who we found out had a relationship with the contractors). I would not recommend her or them to anyone. Very manipulative dishonest people ESPECIALLY Kathleen Pantle.

Litigant

Comment #: IL1014
Rating:9.0
Comments:
I have read the other ratings, and I have now been in Judge Pantle's courtroom. I too was upset afterwards, however when you really reflect, you will see that Judge Pantle is very smart. She knows her cases better than the lawyers do, and does her homework, but you have to listen. The question is, how prepared is your lawyer? I learned from her this week that I have an inexperienced lawyer, and she knows how to test their abilities. I learned that I will need a new lawyer for my appeal. Judge Pantle knows how to highlight the weak points in the case. She actually pinpointed the exact point I didn't agree on with my attorney, where my voice was not heard. She also makes eye contact with everyone in her courtroom more than once. I learned a lot from her this week. Amazing!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL987
Rating:1.8
Comments:
Biased. ails to prepare. Does not get beyond head notes. Simplistic. Far from even handed. And lazy. Not qualified.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL629
Rating:1.0
Comments:
She strives to please lawyers and big law firms to get re-elected, Beware. She won't care about legal arguments, facts, or evidence.

She shacks her head and gives you that wicked smile before ruling on a motion.

If you are a Pro-Se, find a lawyer because you will have no chance with this crazy Judge. I neglect to call her a Judge.

Other

Comment #: IL507
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Horrific judge. Allow our case to fester for years by allowing continuous continuations until defendants could claim bankruptcy and then told us that we had no hope of recovering fraud revenues. Aloof, and uncaring, should not be allowed to continue to judge cases

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL487
Rating:1.8
Comments:
Judge Pantle has a very poor judicial temperament; wears her emotions on her sleeve.

She does not accept an unfair judgement against herself than she should not apply the same unfair judgment on others. Very disturbing and unpleasant experience to appear before her.

No empathy, No compassion, Blind to the needs of others.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL482
Rating:1.1
Comments:
A loose cannon that wields the power to abuse. Very unfair to Pro Se litigants and disregard their rights severely.

Unfortunately, that is a reputation she tend to grow with, to please as many attorneys as possible. Awards the rats and harm the victims.

Will not recommend for retention. Should be removed from the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL478
Rating:1.4
Comments:
Judge Pantle is an incredibly biased judge toward civil right cases who allows her extreme politics to interfere with her ability to be impartial. She is so corrupt that one wonders how she can live with herself. It's astounding that, despite the fact that she is both a mother and a judge, she throws her own under the bus in order to try to gain entry into the good old boys club. The self-loathing that she harbors must be eating her up inside.

Needs to stop using cookie cutter orders and pay attention to the facts of the case before her. Inclined to cite to cases for support of her opinion that are wholly irrelevant to the facts at bar. Lack of neutrality is her defining feature.

She has a feeble grasp of the law. Does not work hard. People can not plan their lives around their legal rights if a judge will not respect them. We don't have a queen, so no one person can overturn congress, the president, and all the court precedent, but that is how she operates.

Very shrill and ill-tempered and unpleasant. Lacking in self-control, almost childlike, easily confused and disoriented, fragile emotionally. Strongly favors one side in a case.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL476
Rating:1.5
Comments:
Judge Kathleen Pantle has a very difficult time grasping even elementary legal principles. She abused her discretion more than once and was caught by the Appeal for abuse of discretion, who reversed her multiple times.

She essentially does not care about how the appeal court rules and often will say they have their own system and I have mine.

She is intellectually lazy and lacks ability to be fair. Her rulings are not prompt and her written rulings lack scholarship.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL475
Rating:1.4
Comments:
Gives little to no consideration to motions and seems to rule without reading or caring about the arguments. Extremely bad draw if your case needs pretrial assistance from the court.

She is moody, arbitrary, capricious and shortsighted. Snaps to judge a situation. Her worst trait is that she takes things personally and gets genuinely emotional over garden variety issues. She has a tendency to become vindictive. She does not rule with an even hand. Tends to make up her mind before evaluating evidence.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL473
Rating:1.0
Comments:
By far the most clueless person in the building. A first year law student could do a better job. Her law clerk David Hensel often seen approaching the bench and whispering in her ear, causing her to change her mind in the middle of a ruling. Unreasonable does not begin to describe her scheduling orders.

She is cold and calculating and has no respect for any human decency and the worst for Pro Se litigant. Dealing with her is a very unpleasant experience.

Bot the brightest judge; holds grudges and doesn't forget.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL411
Rating:1.0
Comments:
Impeach this horrible judge. She has zero respect for PRO SE litigants, rude, does not respect the law if you have no lawyer, and will never listen to you. She should be removed from the bench immediately.

She lacks understanding of civil cases, she was previously a criminal judge who was removed from the bench, later transferred to the Chancery Department.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: IL295
Rating:1.4
Comments:
Pro whoever has a lawyer

Litigant

Comment #: IL294
Rating:1.0
Comments:
This Judge will not listen to you if you do not have a law degree or if you are PRO SE. She is rude and will not even look at you while talking. My opinion is that she needs to be removed from the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL229
Rating:9.4
Comments:
Very smart and reasonable judge. Does her work and sees through the nonsense. Very high marks relative to her peers.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: IL191
Rating:6.1
Comments:
Judge Pantle seems to have a hard time making decisions and appears to go with whatever way she is pushed the hardest.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: IL179
Rating:3.3
Comments:
A loose cannon, intellectually dishonest, irrational, unpredictable, arrogant and ignorant. Shoots from the hip when she doesn't know what she is talking about. Doesn't know when to step back and go look up the case law. The only topic she understands is the rules of evidence. Should be removed from the bench.