T. Michael Putnam
How Judge Putnam rules, drawn from 27 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Putnam no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Putnam
T. Michael Putnam served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Alabama from February 1987 until 2019. He earned an undergraduate degree and a law degree from the University of Alabama and practiced law in Florence before joining the bench. He presided over civil cases with the parties’ consent and issued recommendations in referred matters.
How Judge Putnam decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
In a prisoner suit seeking prospective relief, Putnam required a current or imminent injury and rejected a class request from an unrepresented plaintiff.
“Past exposure to illegal conduct does not itself show a present case or controversy.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Because the instant petition is moot, the magistrate judge RECOMMENDS that the petition for writ of habeas corpus be DISMISSED as MOOT.”
“the magistrate judge RECOMMENDS that his request be DENIED. It would be plain error to permit the plaintiff, unassisted by counsel, to represent fellow inmates in a class action.”
At screening in a pro se civil-rights case, Putnam recommended dismissing the claims against the Midfield Police Department while allowing a Fourth Amendment claim against an individual officer to proceed. District Judge R. David Proctor adopted the recommendation.
“Because the instant petition is moot, the magistrate judge RECOMMENDS that the petition for writ of habeas corpus be DISMISSED as MOOT.”
“defendant’s motion for summary judgment is due to be granted. A separate order will be entered granting the motion and dismissing the case with prejudice.”
“the defendant’s motion for summary judgment (court document #12) is due to be GRANTED and plaintiff’s sole claim, that defendant was negligent, is due to be DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
“the defendant's motion for summary judgment will be granted, and this action will be dismissed by separate order.”
“the defendants’ motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s claim of discrimination in employment under 38 U.S.C. § 4301 et seq. (‘USERRA’), is due to be DENIED.”
“defendants’ motion for summary judgment against plaintiff (court document #59) is due to be granted as to all of plaintiff’s claims against them.”
“defendants Taylor and Tibbetts on claims of negligence and negligent supervision is due to be granted. A trial is necessary for the assessment of damages only.”
“plaintiff's motion for summary judgment (court document # 17 ) against defendant Paul Warren on the grounds of ratification and estoppel is due to be granted.”
“defendants’ motions for summary judgment against plaintiff (court documents # 24 and # 27) are due to be granted, and all of plaintiff’s claims are due to be dismissed with prejudice.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Judge Putnam's assigned civil docket from 1999 through 2018 included product-liability and tort suits, an ERISA matter, and a prisoner habeas case, alongside short administrative matters. His broader criminal-duty and referral work is not fully represented by assigned civil cases.
Pending matters in the official report
Judge Putnam was last listed in the Civil Justice Reform Act report as of September 30, 2022.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 0 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
A historical record
Judge Putnam no longer sits on this court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.