"The Robing Room: MD State Judges

Hon. Michele D. Hotten	See Rating Details
Associate Judge Circuit Court
Prince George's County 7th Circuit	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 4.6 - 7 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: - 0 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. Michele D. Hotten

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD832
Rating:3.2

Comments:
Judge Hotten makes indecipherable rulings concerning the admissibility of documents and testimony, which creates chaos throughout the entire trial. To compound this problem, she becomes extremely irritated when counsels for both parties are not able to comply with her prior unintelligible rulings.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD697
Rating:1.8

Comments:
Overall, one of the worst judges that I have ever had to deal with - both in terms of intellect, temperment and overall civility.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD472
Rating:1.6

Comments:
Made poor rulings that were pro defense in a simple auto accident case. Excluded photos that should have gone to jury. Should have been easy plaintiff's verdict if jury had all photos to review. Thought her attitude was black on black racism supporting white opposing counsel all the way.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD362
Rating:2.8

Comments:
Bad attitude and a generally angry person. You leave the courtroom, whether you have won or lost, feeling like you have just taken a beating.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD208
Rating:9.3

Comments:
My limited experience with Judge Hotten is that she is a fair and capable judge.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: MD144
Rating:8.0

Comments:
Pleasurable to be in front of. Heavy-handed on discovery violations - which has been lacking in some counties.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: MD22
Rating:5.9

Comments:
A good judge overall, but way, way too willing to fine lawyers. Way too many lawyers are sanctioned at the drop of a hat over what other judges and lawyers would view as frivolous motions for sanctions. In my book, that counterbalances all the good she can do as a judge. She needs to make sure each side gets the discovery it needs, without fining lawyers.