Douglas F. McCormick
How Judge McCormick rules, drawn from 13 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge McCormick
Douglas F. McCormick has served as a United States magistrate judge for the Central District of California since August 2013. Before joining the court, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in Santa Ana and clerked for federal judges on the Ninth Circuit and in the Central District of California. He earned degrees from the University of California, Irvine, and UCLA School of Law.
Judge McCormick's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge McCormick, as published on the court's website (checked October 8, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Filing
No mandatory chambers copies are required until further notice.
“CHAMBERS COPIES: Until further notice, no mandatory chambers copies are required.”
Motions
Civil motions are heard Tuesdays at 10 a.m. unless the court directs otherwise; no advance clearance is generally needed.
“HEARINGS: Unless otherwise directed by the Court, civil motions are heard on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. It is not necessary to clear a motion date with the Court’s clerk prior to filing the motion, although the Court reserves the right to sua sponte continue motions or decide them on the papers without oral argument.”
Conferences
Request a telephonic appearance at least two court days before the hearing.
“TELEPHONIC APPEARANCES: Any party who wishes to appear at a hearing by telephone must make such a request at least two court days before the hearing.”
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 8, 2026).
- General Order 11-10: Alternative Dispute Resolution Program ↗
- General Order 19-01: Criminal Duty Matters Electronic Filing Pilot Project ↗
- General Order 20-13: Criminal Duty Matters Electronic Filing Pilot Project ↗
- General Order 18-02: Submission of Certain Prisoner Filings Through Electronic Mail ↗
- General Order 24-07: Criminal Justice Act Plan ↗
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 Rose, McCormick reversed a disability-benefits denial after finding that the ALJ had not adequately justified discounting a treating physician’s opinion, including in the context of fibromyalgia.
“As such, the ALJ erred in relying on this factor to discount Dr. Bohan’s opinion.”
In Rose, McCormick applied the credit-as-true framework and remanded for an award of benefits after finding the record fully developed and the claimant disabled.
“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.”
In Muiga, McCormick barred third-country removal until the petitioner received written notice and a meaningful chance to present fear-of-harm or other legal claims before an immigration judge. A same-day notice and informal interview without counsel or preparation time did not satisfy that process.
“Absent these protections, any attempt to effectuate Petitioner’s removal to Cameroon runs afoul of due process.”
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.”
“As Respondents do not advance any argument in opposition, the Court GRANTS the Petition in part. The Court finds that Petitioner’s detention violated her due process rights and that immediate release is warranted.”
“IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Petition is GRANTED in part and Judgment shall be entered accordingly as follows:”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.”
“The Petition (Dkt. 1) is GRANTED in part.”
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.
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 1 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 1 | 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.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the Central District of California, not for Judge McCormick: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
| Cases | Median time | |
|---|---|---|
| All civil cases closed | 15,190 | 3.9 months |
| Closed with no court action | 4,414 | 3.1 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 10,538 | 4.3 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 103 | 17.9 months |
| Closed during trial | 135 | 25.7 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 15,190 | 3.9 months |
| Sep 2024 | 15,348 | 3.9 months |
| Sep 2023 | 13,583 | 4.4 months |
| Sep 2022 | 12,887 | 4.7 months |
| Sep 2021 | 14,213 | 4.7 months |
| Sep 2020 | 14,205 | 5 months |
| Sep 2019 | 13,478 | 4.9 months |
The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).
Draft for Judge McCormick with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge McCormick, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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