Manuel Real
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Manuel L. Real is an Article III Federal Judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He served as Chief Judge of the Court from 1982 to 1993.
Early Life and Education
Born in San Pedro, California, Real was graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor's degree in 1944 and later received a Bachelor's of Laws, LL.B, degree from Loyola Marymount Law School in 1951. Real also served in the U.S. Naval Reserves from 1943 to 1945.[1]
Legal Career
Real was an Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice's U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California from 1952 to 1955. Real was a private practice attorney in the State of California from 1955 to 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Real to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California from 1964 to 1966.[1]
Federal Judicial Career
Real was nominated to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 26, 1966 to a new seat created by 80 Stat. 75, which was approved by Congress. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 20, 1966 on a Senate vote and received commission on November 3, 1966. Real served as the Chief Judge of the Central District of California from 1982 to 1993. [1]
Real is the only remaining active Judge of those nominated by Lyndon B. Johnson, and has been eligible for senior status since 1985. [2]
Notable cases
Erin Andrews stalker case
Judge Real presided in the case of Michael David Barrett, a former insurance executive from Illinois who was accused of stalking ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews in Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Ohio. Barrett pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement and originally agreed to a 27 month prison sentence. However, Andrews pleaded to Judge Real that she wanted Barrett locked up for as long as possible. Despite her plea for a longer sentence, the judge sentenced Barrett to 27 months in prison on March 15, 2010[3].
Criticism
There have been calls for the 85 year old Real to retire his seat on the federal bench, citing his high rate of appellate reversals and dictatorial manner in the courtroom. According to the Los Angeles Times: "Judiciary analysts have calculated that Real's reversal rate in some years has been as high as 10 times the average for federal district judges." However, judicial misconduct overview agencies have found his behavior to lack the "willfulness" required for formal sanctions. [2]
Ethics issues
The judge's career has been marred by two ethics scandals during his tenure as a federal judge.
Abuse of power case
The judge was investigated by the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council in 2006 on allegations on abusing his power as a federal judge. The judge was publicly reprimanded in 2006 by the Judicial Council in which he lied to the council over using his role as a judge to help a probationer assume control of their bankruptcy. The judge also received a private reprimand in 2008 from the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council over failure to disclose his reasoning on why he abused his power[4].
Philippines dictator case
Judge Real was formally reprimanded by a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on November 14, 2009 for his handling of assets earmarked towards a late dictator of the Philippines. As part of the reprimand, the three judge panel ordered a review of the accounting used in the assets. One judge on the panel called his accounting "curious" and "filled with cryptic notations" when looking at the handling of the assets that are valued over $33.8 million US Dollars[5].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Judge Manuel Real Federal Judicial Center Biography
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Los Angeles Times "Critics want to bench Judge Manuel L. Real" August 16, 2009
- ↑ Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Erin Andrews Stalker Gets Jail Time", March 15, 2010
- ↑ "Houston Chronicle" Judging the judges, December 13, 2009
- ↑ "LA Times" Federal judge criticized for handling of claimants' assets, November 14, 2009
