Billy Wayne Lewis Jr.

How Judge Lewis rules, drawn from 8 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
Position
district
Appointed by
Donald Trump (Republican)
Commissioned
2025-11-06
Education
University of the South, B.A., 2000; Cumberland School of Law, J.D., 2003
Signed orders read
8

How Judge Lewis decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

Enforces the federal habeas limitations period at the threshold and will deny an evidentiary hearing when the petition is time-barred.

“is DENIED without an evidentiary hearing as time-barred”

In the reviewed immigration-detention dispute, preliminary relief failed where the asserted revocation had not occurred and the petitioner could not show a substantial likelihood of success.

“the court finds that the Petitioner’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 5) is due to be DENIED.”

Procedural preferences

Reviews objections to a magistrate judge's recommendation before adopting it and entering the recommended dispositive judgment.

“the court OVERRULES the Plaintiff's objections; the court ADOPTS the recommendation of the Magistrate Judge”

In the reviewed remand order, the possibility of a viable state claim against a nondiverse defendant defeated federal jurisdiction, and severance was rejected where it would duplicate litigation arising from the same accident.

“severance does not promote judicial economy or convenience of the parties”

Cautions

Complex medical-causation claims may require qualified expert evidence rather than medical records alone.

“such records could not prove that the Defendants caused those conditions without specialized knowledge of an expert medical witness”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Lively v. Crabtree
1:23-cv-00029-BWL-SMD · 2026-03-09
Habeas petition (petitioner) Denied

“Lively's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2254 (doc. 1) is DENIED without an evidentiary hearing as time-barred and that this case be DISMISSED with prejudice”

Robinson v. Terry
2:24-cv-00358-BWL-JTA · 2026-03-13
Summary judgment (defendants Marshall and Hamm) Granted

“The court GRANTS Defendants Marshall and Hamm's 29 Motion for Summary Judgment and enters judgment in favor of Marshall and Hamm on all claims and against Plaintiff”

Caffey v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc.
2:22-cv-00542-BL-CWB · 2026-07-22
Summary judgment (defendant Publix Super Markets, Inc.) Granted

“The Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendant Publix Super Markets, Inc. (doc. 149) is GRANTED”

Summary judgment (defendants CVS Pharmacy, Inc. and CVS Health Corporation) Granted

“The Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendant CVS Pharmacy, Inc. and Defendant CVS Health Corporation (doc. 152) is GRANTED”

Caffey v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc.
2:22-cv-00542-BL-CWB · 2026-07-22
Motion for leave to amend (plaintiff Rodney N. Caffey) Denied

“The Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint for Additional Defendants (doc. 187) is DENIED without prejudice to the Plaintiff’s ability to file a freestanding action against the United States for the exhausted claims he is seeking to assert.”

Davis v. Chaney
2:24-cv-00178-BL-CWB · 2026-07-29
Motions to dismiss (Alabama Attorney General) Granted

“The Motion to Dismiss filed by the Attorney General (doc. 57) is GRANTED and the Attorney General is DISMISSED without prejudice”

Motions to dismiss (defendants Norman, Lynn, and Lamar) Granted

“The Motion to Dismiss filed by Defendants Norman and Lynn (doc. 58) is GRANTED, and these Defendants are DISMISSED with prejudice for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted. 3. The Motion to Dismiss filed by Defendant Lamar (doc. 58) is GRANTED, and this Defendant is DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted.”

Orton v. Eufaula Water Works
2:25-cv-00786-BL-SMD · 2026-06-24
Motions to remand (plaintiff Christine B. Orton) Granted

“The Plaintiff’s Motion to Remand (doc. 8) is GRANTED”

Motion for jurisdictional discovery (defendant Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products N.A., Inc.) Denied

“Defendant Husqvarna’s Motion for Jurisdictional Discovery and Motion for Severance (doc. 11) are DENIED”

Motion to sever (defendant Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products N.A., Inc.) Denied
Chen v. Lyons
3:25-cv-00970-BL-JTA · 2026-01-21
Preliminary injunction (petitioner Zu Ping Chen) Denied

“the court finds that the Petitioner’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 5) is due to be DENIED.”

Chen v. Lyons
3:25-cv-00970-BL-JTA · 2026-04-01
Habeas petition (petitioner Zu Ping Chen) Denied

“the court hereby DENIES the Petitioner’s amended habeas petition (doc. 28) on the merits”

Preliminary injunction (petitioner Zu Ping Chen) Moot / procedural

“DENIES AS MOOT the Petitioner’s motion for a preliminary injunction (doc. 29).”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

Median motion-to-ruling time: 35 days (N = 14).

Lewis's early federal docket includes civil-rights, prisoner, habeas, immigration-detention, employment, product-liability, trade-secret, labor, consumer, commercial, and criminal matters, many inherited when he joined the court.

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