Standing Committee on Discipline of the United States District Court for the Central District of California v. Yagman
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
55 F.3d 1430 (1995)
After Judge Keller sanctioned him $250,000 and denied his disqualification motion, attorney Yagman (defendant) publicly called Keller antisemitic (after disclosing supporting facts to a reporter), said Keller was 'drunk on the bench,' wrote to a legal publisher calling Keller 'the worst judge in the central district' and 'ignorant, dishonest, ill-tempered, and a bully,' and ran an ad soliciting other attorneys Keller had sanctioned while confiding he hoped public criticism would lead Keller to recuse himself in future cases; the disciplinary committee suspended Yagman from practice for two years.
Whether an attorney's negative comments about a judge are sanctionable absent proof the statements were knowingly or recklessly false under a reasonable attorney standard, or that they pose a clear and present danger to the administration of justice.