The almost universal perception of attorneys is that Judge Lindberg was not prepared for the demands of the position. Judge Lindberg had no trial experience prior to his appointment to the federal bench, either as a lawyer or a judge. He also had no significant federal court background. Both the volume and the complexity of the work appear to be more than Judge Lindberg expected, or has been able easily to handle. By early this year, Judge Lindberg already had the largest number of civil cases pending of any judge.
Lawyers report waiting long periods for rulings on contested motions.
They also report that Judge Lindberg's motion call is slow and disorganized, and that evidentiary rulings during trial appear not to be made with confidence. Some rulings have been criticized as showing a lack of basic knowledge of federal law, including the rules of evidence. Judge Lindberg has extensive rules relating to his motion practice, perhaps taken from state court practice. At least one of these rules, relating to notice of motions, is inconsistent with the District Court Rules and local practice, in that one to two week notice is required before a motion can be presented. Having local rules applicable to all judges is a substantial benefit for lawyers.