Stanley Nelson Barnes
Judge Barnes no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Barnes decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Barnes required substantial proof rather than suspicion or conjecture before sustaining a criminal conviction.
“We can surmise — we can conjecture — but we cannot find substantial proof either of sale or possession by Jensen.”
Barnes deferred to supported administrative credibility choices even when the record could also support a competing view.
“The fact that the Board’s choice is one of two conflicting alternatives and that evidence and inferences exist to support the rejected choice is not a sufficient ground for refusing to order enforcement.”
Procedural preferences
Barnes used monetary sanctions when an appeal repeated arguments whose lack of merit was already settled.
“An appeal is frivolous if the result is obvious, or the arguments of error are wholly without merit.”
Cautions
Barnes treated ambiguous prosecutorial language together with an erroneous burden instruction as requiring a new trial.
“At best, the language was capable of conflicting interpretations, each reasonable.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The conviction of defendant Jensen on all six counts is reversed, and the matter is remanded with instructions to dismiss the indictments as to Jensen.”
“The Board’s order is, therefore, enforced.”
“The judgment of the district court allowing deduction for the expenses of taxpayer’s wife is reversed, and the matter remanded”
“we reverse the defendant Wertz’s conviction, and remand to the trial court for another trial.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Not applicable to this circuit-court record.
A historical record
Judge Barnes no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.