The Full Read · Article by Article
Patrick Joseph Bumatay
Ninth Circuit · appt. Trump
7/7
🥇 Fit for the Bench
1Ethics & Recusalcritical
71%★ earned
“No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause.” — Madison, Federalist No. 10
No documented judicial disclosure violation, conflict, or failure to recuse; a prosecutorial-conduct concern raised by opponents predates the bench and was not adjudicated against him.
2Fidelity to Democracycritical
74%★ earned
“…a government of laws, and not of men.” — Marshall, Marbury v. Madison
No documented involvement in election subversion or defiance of higher courts; record consistent with the constitutional order.
3Judicial Temperament
72%★ earned
“Justice must satisfy the appearance of justice.” — Frankfurter
No documented complaints of incivility toward litigants, counsel, or colleagues on the bench.
4Reason, Not Ideology
72%★ earned
“We are not final because we are infallible…” — Robert H. Jackson
Opinions reflect conventional appellate reasoning; opposition to him was largely ideological, which is not scored here.
5Intellectual Honesty & Precedent
72%★ earned
“…to stand by things decided.” (stare decisis) — the common-law maxim
No documented inconsistency with confirmation testimony or departures from precedent.
6Independence from Party
69%★ earned
“The complete independence of the courts of justice is peculiarly essential.” — Hamilton, Federalist No. 78
Appointed by Trump; has occasionally diverged from other conservative colleagues in Ninth Circuit rulings.
7Personal Integrity
74%★ earned
“The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
No documented criminal, civil, or corruption matter as a judge; clean personal record.
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Scores are Independent 2026’s own editorial read against the Seven Articles — ≥60% earns the star. The first two Articles are critical: fail Ethics & Recusal or Fidelity to Democracy and there is no seal, whatever else holds. Each Article carries its founding quote as the yardstick. On bias →