Karen S. Crawford
How Judge Crawford rules, drawn from 6 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Crawford no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Crawford
Karen S. Crawford served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California from 2012 until her retirement in 2026. She became presiding magistrate judge in 2024 and previously served as an assistant United States attorney.
How Judge Crawford decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Garcia v. Rivera, she recommended dismissing a prisoner’s claim about an allegedly fabricated X-ray report for failure to exhaust administrative remedies; the district judge adopted her recommendation over the plaintiff’s objections.
“Accordingly, the Court OVERRULES Plaintiff’s objections, ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation in its entirety, and GRANTS Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss.”
Procedural preferences
In Skuja’s Social Security appeal, she recommended granting the Commissioner’s cross-motion for summary judgment, and the district court granted it.
“and (2) grant Defendant Carolyn W. Colvin's cross-motion for summary judgment. ... and GRANTS Defendant's cross-motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 17).”
Cautions
In Rojas-Lopez’s habeas case, she recommended denying the petition; after no objections were filed, the district judge adopted her recommendation in full.
“The Court referred the matter to Magistrate Judge Karen. S. Crawford, who issued a Report and Recommendation (‘R & R’) recommending that the Petition be denied. ... the Court ADOPTS IN FULL the R & R and DENIES the Petition. The Court also DENIES a certificate of appealability”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“United States Magistrate Judge Karen S. Crawford has issued a thoughtful and well-reasoned and Report recommending that Defendants' motion to dismiss be granted. ... the Court OVERRULES Plaintiff's objections, ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation in its entirety, and GRANTS Defendants' Motion to Dismiss. Plaintiff's claim regarding a fabricated X-ray report is dismissed without prejudice due to Plaintiff's failure to exhaust”
“The Court referred the matter to Magistrate Judge Karen. S. Crawford, who issued a Report and Recommendation (‘R & R’) recommending that the Petition be denied. ... the Court ADOPTS IN FULL the R & R and DENIES the Petition. The Court also DENIES a certificate of appealability”
“recommending that this Court: (1) deny Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment ... DENIES Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 16)”
“and (2) grant Defendant Carolyn W. Colvin's cross-motion for summary judgment. ... and GRANTS Defendant's cross-motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 17).”
“On January 21, 2022, Magistrate Judge Crawford issued a Report and Recommendation, recommending that this Court deny the Petition. ... the Court (1) ADOPTS Magistrate Judge Crawford's report and recommendation and (2) DENIES Petitioner's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus.”
“the Court hereby approves and ADOPTS IN ITS ENTIRETY the R&R ... The Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's official capacity claims against all Defendants is GRANTED, and these claims are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE and WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND; ... The Motion to Dismiss is DENIED AS MOOT to the extent it seeks dismissal of claims for injunctive relief; ... The Motion to Dismiss is DENIED to the extent it seeks dismissal of plaintiff's claims for failure to exhaust ... Plaintiff is GRANTED until December 23, 2020 to amend his claims against RJD's Warden and Chief Medical Officer.”
“On January 30, 2023, Magistrate Judge Karen S. Crawford issued a report and recommendation (‘Report’) that the Court affirm the Commissioner’s decision. ... Based on the reasoning above, the Court ADOPTS in part and DECLINES to ADOPT in part the Report. The ALJ’s decision is REVERSED in part and the case is REMANDED for further administrative proceedings consistent with the opinion of the Court.”
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 | 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 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 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 Crawford 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.