Brenda Kay Martin
How Judge Martin rules, drawn from 1 signed order. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Martin
Brenda Kay Martin has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Arizona since May 2014. She earned her undergraduate degree from Willamette University and her law degree from Arizona State University.
Judge Martin's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Martin, as published on the court's website (checked October 10, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Filing
Electronically file pleadings; Judge Martin does not accept pleadings sent directly to chambers.
“Judge Martin does not accept pleadings sent directly to chambers via fax, personal delivery or e-mail. All pleadings must be electronically filed before the time of the hearing.”
Conferences
A request to continue or vacate a hearing requires a motion and an uploaded order.
“Any request to continue or vacate a hearing requires a motion and an uploaded order.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 10, 2026).
- General Order 26-3: Procedures for Access and Management of Sealed Documents ↗
- General Order 26-1: Chapter 7 Attorney Requirements ↗
- General Order 25-1: Prohibition of Covert Recording Devices in Bankruptcy Courts ↗
- General Order 23-3: Procedure for the Redaction of Personal Identifiers ↗
- General Order 23-2: Mortgage Modification Mediation Program for Individual Bankruptcy Cases ↗
How Judge Martin decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In In re Athena Medical Group, Martin found that counsel’s court-approved service for the debtor in possession ended when the debtor lost that status, limiting the former counsel’s claim for estate-funded fees.
“once terminated as debtor-in-possession, the debtor’s attorney’s services were also terminated.”
In In re Athena Medical Group, Martin denied the debtor’s former counsel’s fee application because using the general administrative-expense provision would bypass the Code’s specific limits on professional compensation.
“allowing the fees under § 503(b)(1) would improperly circumvent more specific 11 provisions of the Code that do not allow for such fees.”
Procedural preferences
Martin requires pleadings to be filed on the docket and does not accept direct delivery to chambers by fax, personal delivery, or email.
“Judge Martin does not accept pleadings sent directly to chambers via fax, personal delivery or e-mail. All pleadings must be electronically filed before the time of the hearing.”
Cautions
After an objection to stay relief, the movant must promptly request a preliminary hearing or risk losing the statutory priority-hearing protection.
“Failure to promptly request a hearing will be deemed a waiver of the priority hearing provisions of 11 U.S.C. Section 362(e)(2).”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED denying the Application.”
“WCS’s Motion to Strike Declarations of Katie McNally, Melissa Scott, and James E. Cross (Dkt. No. 889) that sought to strike the declaration of the Subchapter V Trustee to the extent it supported the Application is also deemed 23 moot.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Thirteen terminated sampled matters lasted from 2 to 417 days, with a median of 115 days. The fixed sample is descriptive and is not a complete caseload census.
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