Douglas F. McCormick
How Judge McCormick decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In a benefits appeal he will reverse where the ALJ discounts a treating physician's opinion without 'specific and legitimate reasons,' and he protects fibromyalgia claims in particular: because the disease has no laboratory marker, an ALJ may not reject a treating opinion merely for relying on subjective complaints or for a lack of objective findings.
“the fact that a treating physician relied on subjective complaints is not itself a valid basis to reject the physician's opinion.”
He applies the Ninth Circuit's credit-as-true rule and will remand for an outright award of benefits -- not just further proceedings -- in the 'rare circumstances' where the record is fully developed, no outstanding issues remain, and crediting the improperly rejected opinion would compel a disability finding.
“Because there is not 'serious doubt' as to whether Plaintiff is disabled, the Court exercises its discretion to remand this case for an award of benefits.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“For the reasons stated above, the decision of the Social Security Commissioner is REVERSED and the action is REMANDED for an award of benefits.”
“The decision of the Social Security Commissioner is reversed and this case is remanded.”
“the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security is reversed and this matter is remanded for further administrative proceedings pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g).”
“The decision of the Social Security Commissioner is affirmed and this case is dismissed with prejudice.”
“The decision of the Social Security Commissioner is affirmed and this action is dismissed with prejudice.”
“Order granting Plaintiff's Motion to Remand and Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint (Dkts. 11, 19) by Magistrate Judge Douglas F. McCormick.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 448 days (N = 5).
Median motion-to-ruling time: 76 days (N = 11).
Judge McCormick's consent docket centers on Social Security disability appeals, which he generally decides on joint written submissions without oral argument. Among twenty-seven reviewed cases from 2013 through 2022, fourteen affirmed the agency, twelve reversed or remanded, and one ended for failure to prosecute. His recent work also includes immigration-detention habeas petitions, occasional consent civil and intellectual-property cases, and referrals from district judges.
Put Judge McCormick's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge McCormick actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge McCormick's own signed orders and cites them.