"The Robing Room: NY State Judges

Hon. Bernadette Bayne	See Rating Details
Supreme Court
Kings (Brooklyn) County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 1.7 - 43 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 7 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. Bernadette Bayne

Comments

Other

Comment #: NY9298
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Unbelievable that such a person is a judge, makes one lose faith in the justice system.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8378
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Of all the horrible judges in NYC, this one is the absolute worst. A complete moron, stupid, and rude. She shouts at everyone, does not bother even reading any papers,and is an ignoramus and a disgrace to the bench

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY8089
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I've been before this judge twice, and both times have been left waiting in the courtroom long enough to get a sense of how she practices. She has all default motions on the same day. Doesn't actually read them. If only one side shows up, she dismisses or defaults the party that didn't show--even if one of the parties is asking for an adjournment for all sides! The requirement that you appear before the judge herself to request an adjournment is an absurd waste of time. She adds bizarre layers of her own procedure--she prefers a hastily handwritten short form order on her own stationary to a carefully drafted proposed order that all parties agreed to in advance. And she just left the courtroom for no reason.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY7940
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I recently have had several cases assigned to Her Honor in the Default Judgment Motion Part. I thought I had experienced the wackier side of civil litigation with Judges Dankberg and Taylor in NY County, but today a new Queen was crowned...I mean I have seen her admonish attorneys for not wearing ties and other petty things, but today was different. Judge Bayne opens her courtroom as close to 'on time' as I have ever seen and announces that she has no Court Officer, but that she has a gun with her at the bench in case any of us get out of line... Judicially speaking, she does not believe in 'substituted service' of any sort. I think she is trying to re-write the CPLR from the decisions she is compelling the litigants to write for her

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY7874
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Worst Judge I have seen in 25 years of practice. Resolves all motions in knee-jerk fashion by dictating a short-form order after a so-called "oral argument" that is a sad mockery of an oral argument. J. Bayne does not know the law, and does not care to learn. When I confronted her with her patently absurd decision in my case, she acknowledged that she might be wrong, and told me to appeal her decision to 2nd Dept. because "those people sit around all day with nothing to do." J. Bayne should be removed immediately, as she is a danger to herself and to the public. Also, in another case (not mine) which was "argued" the same day, she ruled a contract invalid because as she read the K aloud in the courtroom she found the consideration described therein as "$10 and other valuable consideration". J. Bayne said the K must be voided b/c nothing can be purchased for only $10. This really happened. Did she even go to law school? I see no evidence of it.

Litigant

Comment #: NY7676
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Dangerous Lady. Dishonest and unethical. Has ex-parte communications with favored litigants and their friends. Singularly responsible for ruining the health and well being of countless people. Shame on the courts of Brooklyn for allowing such atrocity.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY7659
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The worst of the worst. Enough said . If assigned to her, find a way to get out of your case asap. Someone needs to alert the NY papers on this horror show.

Litigant

Comment #: NY7556
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
denied me my civil and constitutional rights as a third generation educated american tenured public school teacher/citizen

Litigant

Comment #: NY7555
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
She made me chase after an attorney of the Dept of ed to serve attorney when the defendents i served failed to show for court and when I did the motions dept adjourned it and Hon. Baynes said I failed to show up. She made me restore to calendar which got adjourned the day before and the judge acted like she has no clue what goes on in motions when she is the one who ordered me to get help from them so then i show on the new date it was adjourned to and she denies me to state my case and ask for support. I have not paid rent and facing eviction now because of her lies since last summer and expander reserving and reserving I was a tenured teacher who was beaten up by bosses and it was due to the fact I would not tamper with grades.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY7442
Rating:1.8

Comments:
Bad all the way around. Absolutely no understanding of even the most basic rules of evidence. Very mean spirited, although to be fear, she treats both sides equally poorly.

Litigant

Comment #: NY7429
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Total Fraud. Be afraid, very afraid. Where is Commission on Judicial Oversight?

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6936
Rating:1.0

Comments:
If assigned to her for trial, it is a guaranteed appeal. She won't even get it right by chance.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6885
Rating:1.5

Comments:
Judge Bayne is one of the worst judges ever and the previous poster has it correct. Trials are a lose-lose situation for each side because she will commit so many reversible errors that appeals are guaranteed.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6819
Rating:1.1

Comments:
Worst judge in the city, in my opinion. Refuses to make decisions (and I thought that's what judges do!), refuses to listen to argument, probably because she doesn't understand them. She issued an order for my adversary to answer interrogatories in 30 days; when he didn't and I moved to strike pleadings, she gave him an extra 30 days (90 days later)and then adjourned the motion for 5 months, effectively giving him 9 months after the 30 days! Stay tuned.....

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: NY6783
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This Judge shouldn't be on the bench. She doesn't have respect for anyone. She is rude and obnoxious. She was belittling. I never have experienced this behavior of name calling by a judge in 15 years of litigation.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6731
Rating:1.3

Comments:
Pompous, clearly picks a side she favors and makes sure the jury knows it. horrendous.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY6713
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The absolute bottom of barrel. Lazy and dumb.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6628
Rating:1.6

Comments:
I would put more trust in a oiuja board to make legal decisions. Unlike biased commentators regarding other judges, everyone attorney and litigant who has been before Bayne agrees that she is the epitome of arbitrary and capricious - and dumb. And she no longer has her long suffering law assistant to try to talk reason to her. In fact, he was relatively rational and competent, so she had to fire him.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6534
Rating:1.1

Comments:
We should ask our client to sit in the courtroom during motion practice. In moments, clients would call newspaper or local politician to alert them about the embarrassment sitting in a position of responsibility. Its awful that such an incompetent affects the lives of others who have serious legal disputes.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6371
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I have been a lawyer for over 25 years and Judge Bayne should be given an award for her bias, rudeness and inability to conduct the proceedings with even a modicum of civility. She is an all-round disaster.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY6236
Rating:3.6

Comments:
In my trial with her, this judge probably made an average of one appealable error per hour. Misinterprets basic evidentiary case law and CPLR provisions. Whoever wrote that she makes the correct legal decisions needs to have their head examined. A waste of time to try a case before her. If you lose, you have an appeal. If you win, the other side has an appeal. So there's no "winning" in the final sense. An appellate attorney's dream! Woe to all who enter here.

Other

Comment #: NY6091
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This Judge was biased. She was very rude and didn't give us the opportunity to try the case. She was always interrupting with belittling comments throughout the entire trial. It was just abusive. She was unprofessional. We were not given a fair trial. I cannot phantom how our judicial system can allow this inappropriate behavior by a judge in our Supreme Court. She should not be on the bench.

Other

Comment #: NY5956
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Biased, unprofessional, to the point of cruel. Does not listen to facts. Does not hear all sides. Attempts to order others to do things not in their sphere of expertise.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5856
Rating:1.5

Comments:
The absolute worst judge in Kings County. In over 30 years of practice I have never come across a judge who has a such an utter lack of knowledge of basic CPLR. Further, her obvious biases and lack of judicial temperament totally disqualify her from being a fair judge. Her level of incompetene is indescribable.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5835
Rating:1.0

Comments:
There should be negative numbers on this site to demonstrate the total incompetence of Judge Bayne. Recently a young female attorney argued a motion before the "judge." Young woman appeared in court dressed as a professional. Sweater and pants, not a skirt. The attorney was visibly nervous as it was probably one of her first arguments. The judge insulted her before she could utter a word telling her that she is not to appear in court looking like that again. She is to wear make up and earrings when in court. What a way to break into the profession. Lost in all this was the fact that the attorney appeared to be inexperienced but competent. Unfortunately this is more the norm than the exception with Judge Bayne who makes rulings that truly make no sense and has no judicial temperament whatsoever.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY5763
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Rules incorrectly on summary judgment motions on the fly; unencumbered by any knowledge of the papers. Thank Heaven for the Appellate Division.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5731
Rating:6.3

Comments:
Somewhat wacky and fun to watch when you are not before her. In my experience she makes the correct legal decisions, even when against my position. Based on that fact alone, makes her a better than average judge.

Litigant

Comment #: NY5631
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She's corrupt to the core. Brooklyn might be the "it" borough, but its courts are the worst. She doesn't rule according to the law. She doesn't even bother to read or write anything and has clear favorites before the case is even presented. Hum? My first experience with the court system. Now I know why people have no faith in the system.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5624
Rating:1.8

Comments:
I am a trial attorney, and have appeared before most of the Judges in Kings County Supreme Court, including several trials before Judge Bayne. I think I have a pretty thick skin. But when I think of trying a case before Judge Bayne I shudder. She is inconsistent in her reasoning, temperatmental and irrational, also condescending and not very bright -- a lethal combination that makes any appearance before her cringe-worthy.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5584
Rating:2.1

Comments:
Incompetent, rude, selfrighteous,indignant, imperious,bizarre, don't even begin to describe this judge. When assigned to her all I can say is abandon hope all ye who enter here. . . Why don't judges have periodic basic competency exams.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5313
Rating:4.3

Comments:
She is proof that once one gets the robe, by hook or by crook, there is little if any real oversight by the Court system. Anyone who sits in her courtroom for more than 5 minutes knows this is an abomination. Letting it go on for years is the worst of it. She is the best argument for privatizing the judiciary.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5259
Rating:2.3

Comments:
I agree with all of the other comments on this judge. Aside from being disinterested in actual legal arguments, she is rude to the attorneys, tells people to shut up in her courtroom and has no understanding of the law or its application. But for her clerk -- who is incredible and is fair -- every decision that she would ever write on her own would be overturned.

Other

Comment #: NY5220
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is abusive and ignorant, and ignores the law.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5167
Rating:2.3

Comments:
If it weren't for her clerk, Adam Zucker, this part would be a nightmare.

Litigant

Comment #: NY5133
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She refuses to listen to litigants who do not share her preconceived ideas. She refuses to read contracts in order to understand the merits of litigants' arguments and is prepared to rule solely on her woefully limited legal experience. She is very scary, and leaves victims more damaged than when they entered the courtroom. She has many times been in robust favor of large corporations and insurance companies.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY5132
Rating:1.8

Comments:
She is a very corrupt judge who ignores the law completely, and abuses and intimidates the litigants. She is untruthful, and prefers not to be on the record. She refuses to write her orders down, which means that they can be changed easily. She prevents victims of corruption from speaking, and instead only allows her favorites to speak in court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4806
Rating:1.1

Comments:
I really have to fault the political institutions which allow a person of such odd temperament and low intellect to reach the bench. She simply has no business deciding cases which criticially impact upon people's lives. She is too lazy to read papers, which she probably could not comprehend in any event, and turns oral argument into a farce. Everyone in the courtroom is laughing and crying inside.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4745
Rating:1.5

Comments:
Judge Bayne is biased. She does not read the motion papers. Therefore, she allows people to argue who have not submitted papers. Her arbitrary decisions disgrace the court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4335
Rating:1.2

Comments:
Truly one of the worst judges in Kings county. If you are assigned to her for trial, be prepared to enter an alternate universe. Police officers are not allowed to testify because "they should be on the street protecting us". You cannot mention injuries when opening on your damages case.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY4218
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Awful judge. She has no regard for the law. She is a disgrace and should be forced into early retirement.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY3521
Rating:1.8

Comments:
Terrible judge. Does not know or follow the law. Motion argument is an absolute joke. She rarely understands the arguments of either side. If you appear before her - good luck! It is an absolute crap-shoot.

She has no place on the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY2619
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I think the best thing you could say about Justice Bayne is that she is passionate about what she does. However, she goes way over the top on occasion, standing up, smacking her hand on the bench, yelling at lawyers and litigants and being insulting.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY2459
Rating:1.0

Comments:
If i could have rated her a zero I would have... Her temperament alone makes her unqualified to be a judge; the only thing worse than her temperament is her inability to see both sides of an issue. Her ineptitude not only damaged my client, but damaged the opposing side as well. I have never written anything negative about a judge prior to this, her record should be reviewed and she should be impeached or otherwise removed from her post.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY2327
Rating:1.6

Comments:
Insists upon oral argument on all motions so that she does not have to read motion papers. She utterly fails, however, to listen to the argument. She cannot remember which side is which, mixes their arguments, and rules on the spot from the bench. After arguing in front of her, she granted my motion. The adversary objected since she seemed to agree with him during the whole argument. Her response, "Well then I mean the opposite of what I just said. That's my ruling. Go away."

No matter what side you're on, this judge is always an unlucky draw.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY2109
Rating:1.4

Comments:
She actually told two attorneys who argued their motions before me that she would "spank" them. She lacks the temperament and knowldge to be a judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1890
Rating:1.4

Comments:
She is a disgrace and should be removed from the bench. She makes a mockery of the New York judicial system. What kind of judge makes an attorney sit in a corner when she doesn't like the argument that she was making? I witnessed this before arguing a case before this judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1773
Rating:2.8

Comments:
Awful judge. Ignores the law. Complete joke.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1757
Rating:1.9

Comments:
Yelled, screamed, refused to follow rules of evidence, procedure, caselaw. Said "shut up" or "be quiet" if you object. Horrible.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: NY1657
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Had to call her part under the new deposition rules, which require you to obtain a judicial ruling at the time of the deposition rather than object and refuse to allow your witness to answer. Her law clerk advised, "The judge doesn't do rulings." Well what on earth does she do?

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1624
Rating:1.3

Comments:
Worst judge I have ever appeared before in all my years of practice. When I appeared at an Appellate Division conference, the presiding justice even admitted they had no idea what to do with her. No knowledge of the law and clearlt a policital appointment. New York should be ashamed.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY1440
Rating:2.5

Comments:
Terrible Judge. In my opinion she should not be sitting on the bench.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: NY1342
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Very simple-minded. Ex-partes are not unethical in her head. Doesn't hear your arguments - you have to repeat yourself over and over, and if she catches on, you are lucky. If you're unlucky, she will scream at you. If you can, con up any kind of excuse to get the case reassigned out of her part. If you can't, go to trial just to get out of her part. If she IS the trial judge, make sure all of your objections are carefully and exhaustively noted in the record. That's the kind of woman she is.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY788
Rating:2.4

Comments:
The single worst trial experience in my 25 years in practice. Completely ignorant of the rules of evidence (wouldn't let me cross the defendant from his deposition transcript). Was mean-spirited and abusive. Intolerant of attempts to get her to reconsider her awful rulings.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY568
Rating:5.0

Comments:
Does not have any expectation or regard for standards of professionalism between counsel and will not enforce the new deposition rules.