"The Robing Room: WA State Judges

Hon. Toni A. Sheldon	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
Mason County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 3.1 - 4 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 1 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. Toni A. Sheldon

Comments

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: WA1467
Rating:7.9

Comments:
overall a pretty good judge, there are lots of worse ones out there. is occasionally capable of making decisions for bad reasons but doesn't usually. generally decides on facts and law, but watch out if she doesn't like the defendant, then you have no chance.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: WA1262
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Ugh...just one word when it comes to this judge -- AFFIDAVIT!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: WA1145
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Sheldon often acts bored when one is arguing a motion before her. She's very passive and rarely asks any questions of counsel. Then when she issues her rulings, I have come to believe that they are based solely upon her emotions rather than on a thoughtful analysis of the issues and a sound application of law to those issues. In speaking with a number of members of various civil attorney groups, I'm surprised (but relieved) to find out that she has a perceivable prejudice toward female attorneys, particularly female attorneys who will not stand meek before her. She absolutely hates them and will be passive-aggressive in how she handles them by being courteous on the record, yet ruling against them every single time irrespective of how her petty behavior affects the attorney's clients. How this judge has been able to remain on the bench this long is beyond me. I can only surmise that the workload is so heavy that no one wants her job, which is why she feels free to penalize litigants just because she dislikes their attorneys. Just look at her reversal record for appeals. The people of Mason County deserve better than a judge that rules based upon feelings than on the law.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: WA1131
Rating:2.5

Comments:
Of the three judges in Mason County Superior Court, Judge Sheldon is the worst! Someone needs to run against her this year. A first year attorney would make better, well-reasoned decisions than this jurist. She is either overworked, doesn't care to read the briefs or her previous rulings in a case, doesn't understand the facts, doesn't understand the law, or a combination of all these factors, but she seriously has no business being on the bench. What's truly sad is that she doesn't realize that she makes decisions that are not based upon the facts or grounded in law, but based upon her emotions and preferences for a party or for a party's attorney(ies) and will go out of her way to find ways to rule for the party she favors than to comply with rules and laws, much to the detriment of the disfavored party. Based on conversations with other civil attorneys, many now will seriously consider "affidaviting" this judge rather than have her decide their cases and if I had it to do all over again in certain cases, I definitely would. I do know that if I'm assigned this judge in the future, I will absolutely affidavit her every single time, even if that means a delay in proceeding with cases. A long time ago, she was considered a conscientious jurist by many civil attorneys. Now she just sits on the bench to earn a paycheck and she cares nothing about how her inconsistent and unreasoned opinions affects the lives of litigants that appear before her. In her court room, justice is not only blind, it is also deaf and dumb.

Other

Comment #: WA970
Rating:1.0

Comments:
I was in this judge's courtroom today and there was this lady lawyer that was presenting her case to the judge about an insurance lawyer that said he never talked to the person he was hired to take care of and the lawsuit had been going on for many years. The lady was just trying to protect the person who hired her but the judge was short with the lawyer and even rolled her eyes one time when the lawyer was trying to make a point with the judge. I thought that was so rude. Its like the judge went out of her way to make sure the insurance company wins instead of a regular person that is fighting an insurance company that doesn't play by the rules. This judge is so unfair and I could tell that from sitting in the courtroom this afternoon. I would never want this judge to be my judge because she prefers insurance company to the average joe.