Anthony Devos Johnstone
How Judge Johnstone rules, drawn from 16 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
How Judge Johnstone decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Allows a complaint to proceed without evidentiary proof that ordinarily belongs in discovery or later merits stages.
“plaintiffs are generally not expected to provide evidence in support of their claims at the pleading stage.”
Keeps policy disputes outside rational-basis review when the challenged rule remains rationally related to a legitimate interest.
“those debates are not the concern of a court conducting rational basis review.”
Procedural preferences
Treats a pre-bankruptcy accrued claim as property of the bankruptcy estate rather than the debtor.
“her claim belongs to the estate.”
Resists dismissal sanctions for insufficient trade-secret detail before discovery permits the parties to refine the disputed secrets.
“a DTSA trade-secret claim will rarely be dismissible as a discovery sanction in a situation like the one here because the fact question of ‘reasonable particularity’ should be resolved on summary judgment or at trial.”
Cautions
Avoids unnecessary constitutional rulings when the facial challenge presented can be resolved on narrower grounds.
“we do not reach the constitutionality of the Victim Contact Limit.”
Recognizes that equitable hardship cannot authorize a court to confer citizenship contrary to governing law.
“courts lack the equitable power to remedy the government’s errors by granting Moncada citizenship.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, and REMANDED.”
“AFFIRMED in part; REVERSED in part; REMANDED for further proceedings.”
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