Denzil Price Marshall Jr.

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas district Appointed by Barack Obama (Democratic) 4 signed orders read

How Judge Marshall decides

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

Procedural preferences

He enforces orderly motion sequencing, denying an early summary-judgment motion as premature where pending motions to dismiss (and any needed discovery) must be resolved first -- Rule 12(b) before Rule 56.

“The Ellises' motion for summary judgment, Doc. 73, is denied as premature. The motions to dismiss must be dealt with first, and then any needed discovery, if this case moves forward.”

Cautions

Marshall takes procedural fairness seriously enough to vacate his own judgment: on a credible showing that a defendant intercepted a pro se prisoner's mailed objections, he granted Rule 60(b)(3) relief, then considered the objections de novo and still resolved the merits on the record by re-adopting the recommendation and granting summary judgment.

“His motion, Doc. 97, is granted for good cause. Assuming what Willis said happened is true, one of the defendants, Chynna Thomas, intercepted his letter to the Court containing his timely objections ... This Court's Order and Judgment, Doc. 86 & 87, are therefore vacated.”

Signed rulings

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

Willis v. Thomas
4:21-cv-00926-DPM · 2023-12-29
Motion for relief from judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“His motion, Doc. 97, is granted for good cause. Assuming what Willis said happened is true, one of the defendants, Chynna Thomas, intercepted his letter to the Court containing his timely objections ... This Court's Order and Judgment, Doc. 86 & 87, are therefore vacated.”

Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“After de novo review, the Court re-adopts Magistrate Judge Kearney's recommendation ... the record presents no disputed question of material fact for a trial. Motion for summary judgment, Doc. 59, granted. Willis's complaint will be dismissed with prejudice.”

Ellis v. State of Arkansas
3:22-cv-00064-DPM · 2022-06-17
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Moot / procedural

“The Ellises' motion for summary judgment, Doc. 73, is denied as premature. The motions to dismiss must be dealt with first, and then any needed discovery, if this case moves forward.”

McNeil v. United States of America
4:22-cv-00981-DPM · 2023-04-17

Standard 'Initial Order for Pro Se Plaintiffs' (rules of procedure, no right to appointed counsel in civil cases, do not file discovery requests, when documents may be sent to the Court, witness lists). It rules on no party motion but illustrates his pro se case-management practice.

Griffin v. Vincent
3:24-cv-00211-DPM · 2025-08-06
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“The motion for summary judgment, Doc. 25, is granted. Griffin's amended complaint will be dismissed without prejudice.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

In this small recency sample, felony criminal cases ran about 2.4 years, while pro se prison-condition and habeas cases often terminated within a few months through screening or early dismissal. The sample is not a representative distribution.

Put Judge Marshall's record to work

Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Marshall actually rules, not a generic AI guess.

Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Marshall's own signed orders and cites them.