Doing as much research as possible about who your judge will be can provide insights that are valuable in the courtroom, or that allow you to dodge a bad Judge altogether. In most cases you will appear before more than one judge. If you haven't read Will I have the same judge until my divorce is finalized? DwD suggests taking a moment to read it now.
Alameda County has been increasing the number of departments for Family Law matters and appoints judges and commissioners to hear the cases. Alameda County currently has 10 departments hearing approximately 1500 cases each per year, so do not expect to have much time to present your case, or for the judge to have read through what you filed (more information can be found here). There are horror stories of terrible judges and DwD has witnessed a number of them in recent years.
Research your judge
- Search online for as much information as possible.
- If your judge turns up a result like this one, you may want to try to continue your case as there will likely be a new and hopefully better judge soon.
- Find your judge on The Robing Room by searching under Alameda County
- The more people contribute, the more accurate the results. It is not a foolproof method, but many of the worst judges have been accurately evaluated.
- Go to the courthouse and sit in on a hearing
- The courts are generally open to the public. Discretely attending a session in your department on the same day of the week (ie Tuesday) will provide you with a better idea of the judge, their demeanor, and biases. Be advised: judges can flip their behavior from day to day; what you see may not be what you get
- Connect with others who have appeared before the judge appointed to your case
- Attend a DwD meetup to collect information from others who have experience with your judge