John E. McDermott
How Judge McDermott rules, drawn from 4 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge McDermott no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge McDermott
John E. McDermott served as a United States magistrate judge for the Central District of California from July 2009 until 2023. He handled civil matters in Los Angeles, where Stephanie S. Christensen succeeded him.
How Judge McDermott decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Remand followed when unresolved conflicts between medical limitations, the residual functional capacity, and vocational evidence left the denial unsupported.
“The Court cannot accept from the Commissioner facts and reasons the ALJ and VE must provide.”
Vocational testimony supported affirmance where the expert identified significant job numbers consistent with the supported functional capacity.
“The ALJ’s step five finding is supported by substantial evidence.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Respondent’s Motion to Dismiss is granted”
“Judgment be entered reversing the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security and remanding this case for further proceedings”
“Judgment be entered affirming the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security and dismissing this case with prejudice”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
All twenty sampled matters had terminated. Their median duration was 370 days, with a range of 98 to 699 days.
Pending matters in the official report
Judge McDermott was last listed in the Civil Justice Reform Act report as of March 31, 2023.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 1 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 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.
A historical record
Judge McDermott no longer sits on this court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.