top of page
Hon. Richard J. Sullivan
Circuit judge
C.C.A
2nd Circuit
Average Rating:
5
 -
21
rating(s)

rating submitted

Please send me alerts on this judge

REGISTER

subscribed

Add Comment and/or Rating

E-Mail Address (will not be displayed) 

Confirm E-mail Address

ZIP

Occupation

Comment:

Rating:

*Temperament:  
*Scholarship: 
*Industriousness: 
*Ability to Handle Complex Litigation:  
*Punctuality:  
*Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation:  
*Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation: 
Flexibility In Scheduling 
General Inclination Regarding Bail
General Incl. in Criminal Cases, Pre-Trial: 
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions:

General Incl. in Criminal Cases, Trial:

General Incl. in Criminal Cases, Sentencing:

Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators:

  Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating

(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
(1=Chronic`y Late,10=Always on Time)
(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)
(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
(1=Least Involved,10=Most Involved)

(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)

(1=Most Lenient,10=Most Harsh)

(1=10%,10=100%)

How familiar are you with the work of this judge?:
Participates in Oral Argument:
Quality of Questions During Oral Argument:
Attitude during oral argument:

Scholarship as reflected in Opinions:

General Inclination in Criminal Appeals:

General Inclination in Civil Rights Appeals:

General Inclination in Labor Law Appeals:

General Inclination in Immigration Appeals:

(1=Not at all familiar,10=Extremely familiar)

(1=Rarely,10=Always)

(1=Poor,10=Extremely insightful)

(1=Consistently inappropriate,10=Cons. respectful)

(1=Poor,10=Outstanding)

(1=Strongly Pro­Government,10=Strongly Pro­Defense)

(1=Strongly Pro-Defendant,10=Strongly Pro­Plaintiff)

(1=Strongly Pro­Employee,10=Strongly Pro­Employer)

(1=Strongly Pro­Immigrant,10=Strongly Pro­Gov.)

Non-lawyer rating (if applicable)

(1= worst, 10=best)

Ratings:

What others have rated

Hon. Richard J. Sullivan

evaluator

ID

date
Temp*  Sch*  Indu* Comp*   Punct*    Ev-Cv*   Ev-Cr* Flex  Bail  Crim  Settle Trial Sent Coop Average
Criminal Defense Lawyer

25833

1/2/18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

25839

1/2/18

1

3

1

1

5

2

0

0

0

0

2

0
0
0

2.2

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

24208

1/2/17

1

7

10

7

10

4

0

5

0

0

0

0
0
0

6.5

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

24047

1/2/16

3

9

10

10

10

2

0

9

0

0

1

0
0
0

7.3

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

24090

1/1/17

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

1

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

23161

1/1/15

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

22815

1/2/15

5

8

9

9

8

1

0

0

0

0

1

0
0
0

6.7

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

21923

1/2/14

10

10

0

10

10

10

0

10

0

0

0

0
0
0

10

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

21711

1/2/14

3

2

2

3

3

2

2

2

2

2

2

2
2
2

2.4

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

20689

1/1/13

8

10

10

10

10

0

7

2

0

0

0

7
0
0

9.2

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

19735

1/1/13

7

9

6

0

0

10

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

8

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

19287

1/2/12

5

9

9

10

9

10

0

5

0

0

0

0
0
0

8.7

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

18718

1/1/12

1

1

1

1

5

1

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

1.7

read comment
Litigant

18727

1/1/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

12910

1/2/11

0

1

2

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0
0
0

1.3

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

12161

1/2/11

6

0

6

0

0

0

1

6

0

10

0

0
10
0

4.3

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

9834

1/2/10

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

3

2

0

1
1
1

1

read comment
category average

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-

-

Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating
Fam
Par
Qu-Arg
At-Arg
Sch
Cri
Civ
Lab
Imm
How familiar are you with the work of this judge? (1=Not at all familiar,10=Extremely familiar)
Participates in Oral Argument (1=Rarely,10=Always)
Quality of Questions During Oral Argument (1=Poor,10=Extremely insightful)
Attitude during oral argument (1=Consistently inappropriate,10=Consistently respectful)
Scholarship as reflected in Opinions (1=Poor,10=Outstanding)
General Inclination in Criminal Appeals (1=Strongly Pro­Government,10=Strongly Pro­Defense)
General Inclination in Civil Rights Appeals (1=Strongly Pro-Defendant,10=Strongly Pro­Plaintiff)
General Inclination in Labor Law Appeals (1=Strongly Pro­Employee,10=Strongly Pro­Employer)
General Inclination in Immigration Appeals (1=Strongly Pro­Immigrant,10=Strongly Pro­Gov.)
evaluator

ID

date
Fam     Par  Qu-Arg At-Arg    Sch      Cri       Civ   Lab Imm
Criminal Defense Lawyer

25833

1/2/18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

25839

1/2/18

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

24208

1/2/17

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

24047

1/2/16

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

24090

1/1/17

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

23161

1/1/15

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

22815

1/2/15

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

21923

1/2/14

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

21711

1/2/14

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

20689

1/1/13

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

19735

1/1/13

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

19287

1/2/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

18718

1/1/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Litigant

18727

1/1/12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Civil Litigation - Private

12910

1/2/11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

12161

1/2/11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
Criminal Defense Lawyer

9834

1/2/10

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

read comment
category average

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Non-lawyer Rating 
(if applicable)

evaluator

ID

date
Rating
Other

28683

1/1/18
1
read comment
Other

21710

1/2/14
1
read comment
Other

18903

1/1/12
1
read comment
Other

12966

1/2/11
1
read comment
category average

-

Temp*
Sch*
Indu*
Comp*
Punct*
Ev-Cv*
Ev-Cr*
Flex
Bail
Crim
Settle
Trial
Sent
Coop
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)    
Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation (1=Demonstrates Bias 10=Entirely Evenhanded)    
Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation (1=Demonstrates Bias 10=Entirely Evenhanded)    
Flexibility in Scheduling (1=Completely Inflexible    10=Very Flexible)    
General Inclination Regarding Bail (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)    
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pre-Trial (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions (1=Least Involved 10=Most Involved)    
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing (1=Pro-Defense 10=Pro-Government)
Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators (1=10% 10=100%)    
comments1
Comments:

What others have said about

Hon. Richard J. Sullivan

minitalk.gif
Other
comment #:
28683
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Probably going to be dealing with the Misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh, right?
1/1/18, 7:45 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
25833
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Blind to his own biases and Trumpian in his self- importance, Judge Sullivan makes mistakes in the criminal context that you wouldn't expect of a man with such stellar academic credentials. That being said, while I doubt it will temper his biases, I expect being part of a panel will improve his judging immeasurably.
1/2/18, 4:25 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
25839
rating:
2.2
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Basically, he is a self-important blow-hard. Awful!
1/2/18, 9:47 AM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
24208
rating:
6.5
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Difficult mean judge who gets off belittling attorneys.
1/2/17, 7:23 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
24047
rating:
7.3
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Judge Sullivan is very punctual, by the book and extremely temperamental on the bench. Make sure you read his part rules before walking into his courtroom and know your case inside out. Judge Sullivan has little interest in settlement discussions and makes no secrets about his opinions on the case to the jury. He is pro-defendant from a civil perspective, but he really is a hardworking, extremely intelligent, decent guy. If you know your case, he'll analyze legal argument and do the research to come up with the correct answer. Overall, he is not overly even handed but an incredibly talented jurist; I would rate him as a slightly above average draw.
1/2/16, 12:06 AM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
24090
rating:
1
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
He can NOT be very intelligent, hard-working,and professional. Bias Bad prepared cv). Very BAD Judge.
1/1/17, 3:27 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
23161
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
1/1/15, 10:59 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
22815
rating:
6.7
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Judge Sullivan made up his mind against my client before the trial began. He refused to listen to or even try to understand the evidence. Although unspoken at the time, his attitude seemed to be, 'What relevance does any of your evidence have when I have already decided the case?' Very intelligent, hard-working and otherwise courteous but not interested in anything that would contradict his bias and preconceived notions.
1/2/15, 8:34 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
21923
rating:
10
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
1/2/14, 5:16 AM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Other
comment #:
21710
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
The worst judge in the country bar none.
1/2/14, 9:54 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
21711
rating:
2.4
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Worst judge in the country bar none
1/2/14, 9:56 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
20689
rating:
9.2
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I tried a criminal case in front of him, and thought that he was tough and generally prosecution-oriented (no surprise of course), but he did allow the defense to try its case. He did not get in the way at all. He can, at times, be a little irritable about certain issues but he is very hardworking, smart and professional.
1/1/13, 8:06 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
19735
rating:
8
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I thought after reading the prior comments about him he would be a horror. However, I was pleasantly surprised at his rulings, which were fair in the civil rights case I brought. His even handed rulings led to a great settlement for my client, the victim of a beating by cops, on the eve of trial.
1/1/13, 4:49 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
19287
rating:
8.7
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Always well-prepared and knowledgeable about the facts & law. Be prepared for some tough analytical questions.
1/2/12, 11:21 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Other
comment #:
18903
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Shame on this Judge for being bias and applying ONLY his rules and not affording anyone due process. Hopefully he will get his day when he will not be afforded his rights. I agree with all the other comments about this judge. The only remedy is removal from the bench ASAP.
1/1/12, 12:10 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
18718
rating:
1.7
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
This justice should be removed from the bench as due process is not afforded to the individual who wrongly accused in civil matters. In his courtroom by his rules, it's GUILTY no matter what just because he is the judge. Shame on him and those who continue to support him on the bench.
1/1/12, 6:02 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Litigant
comment #:
18727
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
Thought he was completely biased and uninformed about some basics in law -- and I'm not a lawyer. He deemed a document a contract if though it was only signed by the party that wrote the 'offer.' Refused to recognize that a document must be an agreement between two parties before it is deemed a contract. This was huge in determining venue which ultimately skewed the entire proceeding. I agree with previous comments that he is an egomaniac. I watched him blow up at another person (luckily not me) with the veins popping out of his head and neck while screaming perverse profanities at them. Then screaming at everyone else in the room as a 'warning' according to him. I hope he is removed from the bench and that his cases are re-openened and examined. Awful judge in my opinion. And I'm saying this when I didn't even lose the case!!! But it should have been allowed to be in the courtroom at all.
1/1/12, 6:56 PM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Other
comment #:
12966
rating:
0
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
This an an egomaniac who thrives on attention and he is so biased in favor of the prosecution that he should be recused in every instance in criminal cases. He owes his career to cronyism within the DOJ and crosses the line between judge and prosecutor so as to undermine any faith in the justice system if he is the judge. He grandstands and finds any way to excuse illegal conduct by the FBI and USAO in order to avoid suppression of illegally obtained evidence. He is a travesty of justice, was not properly vetted by Sen. Schumer because of his overly strong ties with Preet Bhahara and the Bush White house. All you have to do is read the transcript and the record of his Senate confirmation hearing and look at his demeanor and actions as a judge and as an educator. He is prone to self adulation and sarcasm and is himself a disgrace.
1/2/11, 12:17 AM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Civil Litigation - Private
comment #:
12910
rating:
1.3
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
I dont know why he decided to be a judge if he enjoyed so much being a prosecutor. It was shocking to see how he conducted himself and the bias displayed in a civil case involving the government. No wonder he has the lowest rate of all the Southern District.
1/2/11, 6:34 AM
Send email to poster
minitalk.gif
Criminal Defense Lawyer
comment #:
12161
rating:
4.3
average rating is 3 out of 5
average rating is 3 out of 5
A criminal defendant in his court is in big trouble, especially when it comes to sentencing. Be prepared for ice in the winter in cases where no other judge in the building would be as harsh. He will courteously tell the defendant why he is being screwed, as if that somehow makes up for the fact that his life is ruined.
1/2/11, 7:02 AM
Send email to poster
bottom of page