Stephen J. Hillman
How Judge Hillman rules, drawn from 3 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Hillman no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Hillman
Stephen J. Hillman served as a United States magistrate judge in the Central District of California from 1992 to 2015. Based in Los Angeles, he presided over consent cases and handled referred civil matters.
How Judge Hillman decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Remand followed where neither the administrative decision nor the vocational testimony explained how a one- or two-step limitation permitted work requiring higher reasoning levels.
“neither the VE nor the ALJ presented any persuasive evidence to support Plaintiff’s ability to perform Reasoning Level Two work or higher”
The court required specific findings on obesity where the record showed that it aggravated other impairments and affected the claimant's ability to work.
“The ALJ made no specific findings about the effect the Plaintiff’s obesity had upon his ability to work and his general health.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the decision of the Commissioner is affirmed”
“the decision of the Commissioner is reversed, and the matter is remanded for further proceedings”
“the decision of the Commissioner is reversed, and the matter is remanded for further proceedings”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
All twenty-five sampled matters had terminated. Their median duration was 225 days, with a range of 41 to 410 days.
A historical record
Judge Hillman 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.