"The Robing Room: WA State Judges

Hon. Melinda Johnson-Taylor	See Rating Details
Commissioner Superior Court
King County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 7.8 - 5 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 6 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. Melinda Johnson-Taylor

Comments

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: WA2269
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Literally shouted me down when I attempted to speak of abuse by OP. Gave me supervised visitation for reporting the crimes against me. Believes every allegation is false, and punished you for your own pain. Family court is, by its nature, unlawful and unconstitutional, and judges like her only reinforces this truth. Message me if you’d like to join the movement to stop these civil rights abuses!

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: WA2021
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Very fair and well studied. She came into the case with a firm grasp of the complex issues and rendered a decision that served both justice and my childrens' best interests. She was able to sift through the nonsense and lies and see the truth of the matter and the needs of the children were served.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: WA1962
Rating:9.7

Comments:
Comm. Johnson-Taylor is a dedicated passionate jurist, committed to doing her best for families caught up in the court system.

Lay people frequently have little to no understanding about the law, and typically see the "fairness of things" through the lens of their own personal perspectives and often legal misconceptions. So, it is not surprising to read negative reviews here from litigants who disagree with how she ruled on their individual case.

Speaking as a family law attorney of over 30 years, I have been before many, many court commissioners over the years. My experience with Commr. Johnson-Taylor is that she reads the parties' paperwork, understands and keeps up with the applicable law, comes to Bench well-prepared, is respectful of the parties and their lawyers, and she works hard to make the best decisions she can. Even when she rules in a way with which I do not agree, I know she heard and considered my client's position.

Families in King County are well-served by having her on the Family Law Calendar.

Litigant

Comment #: WA1675
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I had the great misfortune of encountering this Commissioner as part of a motion for temporary orders. I asked for the motion in part to put constraints on my ex’s lifestyle expenses and to get both of us moving toward down-sizing which my ex has steadfastly refused to do. It was plain in both mine and my ex’s financial declaration that we don’t have the money to keep going as-is. It was clear that we’re in the red each month by several thousand dollars. Both of our financial declarations painted the same picture. Despite this, the Commissioner ordered me to continue to pay all my ex’s expenses, which is clearly impossible and a part of the reason I asked for the motion in the first place. By my trial date, my credit will be ruined and I will be well on my way to bankruptcy. The Commissioner ordered me to spend around 73% of my net income on my ex’s lifestyle and on paying our joint debts. This leaves me short in trying to pay just for my own housing and utilities. Never mind being able to pay for groceries, gas or money for kid activities or childcare. How is this just, sane or in the best interest of the children?

Neither myself nor my attorney considers the ruling sensical and it is scheduled for a review by a Judge. I pray to God the reviewing judge reads the evidence and understands basic arithmetic and balancing-the-checkbook principles.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: WA1660
Rating:9.7

Comments:
Excellent in-court judicial temperament. Treats lawyers, parties, and court staff with courtesy. Reviews materials in advance and considers both sides. No observable biases.

Other

Comment #: WA1539
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Does not fully listen to parties that have no legal representation in court. Only sides with the party that's legally represented. Pretends to listen to issues brought forth and only likes to read paper work not listen to statements. Should be taken off the commissioners chair. More drawn to siding with the men even though it doesn't benefit the safety and welfare of the child. Sides with the rich.

Litigant

Comment #: WA1179
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This woman is absolutely horrible. She had a decision ready in writing before my attorney even spoke. She rewarded my ex a ridiculous sum of money a month for moving away without consent. Basically requiring me to take care of my ex's bad financial decision and I'm unable to even pay the amount ordered. My ex moved over 80 miles. In addition, she awarded my ex primary custody because she didn't understand the parenting plan and based on the idea that my ex took care of my son for a month without letting me see my son. This is the worst judge you could get. This woman needs to step down or be fired.

Other

Comment #: WA1149
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Absolutely horrible judge. Horrible.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: WA983
Rating:8.9

Comments:
This is a relatively new family law commissioner. At first, she didn't have enough background to made really well thought out decisions. Sometimes there are arcane cases that impact a case, and she simply didn't know them all. That has changed.

Now, she may still make a decision that that I disagree with, and believe that she has glossed over some issue, but on the whole, she has improved greatly, and is making good decisions. She has surprised me at times lately with how carefully she has reviewed cases before her, and that was a very pleasant surprise. I don't see her every day or every week, but it is clear to me that she is turning into one of our better commissioners, because of her increasing knowledge of the law, her increasing ability to sniff out the BS that always comes into family law cases, and her temperment of being thoughtful and respectful of the litigants, while still working hard to make rulings that follow the law.

As a family law attorney, I know how hard it is for litigants to accept some court rulings. In her case, I have an easier job, because she is doing an excellent job of getting close to what the law indicates she should do. Her problem is that oftentimes there is information that doesn't become known until later in the case, and in retrospect, her decision should have been different, but that is more a function of how cases come to her, and before either attorney knows all the facts of the case. Given the limited information that she is given before she makes a decision, I think she is doing an excellent job.

Other

Comment #: WA977
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
she seems to enjoy a good boxing max between attorneys. Absolutely no experience and she should be held accountable. She needs to step down and quit kidnapping our children based on whos story sounds better.

Litigant

Comment #: WA786
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The first reviewer nailed my experience exactly. She let my ex-wife's attorney repeat lies that were in her declaration after I had submitted evidence to disprove them. I was left wondering if she even read the declarations or looked at the evidence. She seemed to make the decision solely on whose lawyer talked faster..I am devastated and my young son's future is in jeopardy after she allowed a mentally ill woman to retain custody, because she had a slicker lawyer.

Litigant

Comment #: WA768
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She made a terrible decision based on a nothing but her own mental biases.

Did she have my daughter’s best interest in mind when she separated my child from her loving father who raised her? Of course not. Did she have a shred of evidence against me? No.

Did she have evidence that my daughter’s mother was a horrible mother and a liar? Yes, as evidenced by a government report. Nay, despite ALL actual evidence to the contrary, she “adjudicated” the legalized kidnapping of my daughter.

What explains her purposeful and unjust destruction of a family? What I witnessed is that she relied not on evidence or analysis but on the gamesmanship of the lawyers playing out in front of her. She allowed lawyers to lie in the face of evidence.
The damage she has caused will last for generations.
I've lost trust in the court system.