Daniel Desmond Domenico
How Judge Domenico rules, drawn from 15 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Domenico
Daniel Desmond Domenico is a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Appointed by President Donald J. Trump, Judge Domenico received a commission on May 7, 2019.
Judge Domenico's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Domenico, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Filing
File proposed orders in the docket and email an editable Word copy to chambers, copying counsel.
“Proposed orders submitted pursuant to the Local Rules of Practice or at the direction of the Court must be filed via CM/ECF and emailed to [email protected] in editable Word format, copying all counsel of record.”
Motions
Most motions and response briefs are limited to 4,000 words, and replies to 2,700 words.
“motions, objections (including objections to the recommendations or orders of United States Magistrate Judges), responses, and briefs must not exceed 4,000 words. Reply briefs must not exceed 2,700 words.”
Motions
Before most Rule 12 motions, counsel must confer about whether an amended pleading can correct the alleged defect.
“counsel must confer prior to the filing of a motion under Rule 12(b), (c), (e), or (f) to discuss whether an asserted deficiency is correctable by amendment”
Motions
In criminal cases, motions and responses are limited to 4,000 words, and replies to 2,700.
“All motions, objections, responses, and briefs must not exceed 4,000 words. Reply briefs must not exceed 2,700 words.”
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 9, 2026).
How Judge Domenico decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Estate of Castaway v. Traudt, he granted Officer Traudt's summary-judgment motion on qualified-immunity grounds.
“the Court determines that Officer Traudt is entitled to qualified immunity and GRANTS his motion for summary judgment (Doc. 83).”
In Fitness Together v. Axio, he granted a preliminary injunction in part, restricting a competing business and use of proprietary materials and trademarks, subject to a $50,000 bond.
“Enjoined Parties are hereby ENJOINED from having any direct or indirect interest ... in any 'Competitive Business' ... located or operating within a three-mile radius ... [and] from copying, disclosing, or using 'Proprietary Assets' ... and from displaying, infringing upon, or using ... Fitness Together's ... trademarks ... It is FURTHER ORDERED that Fitness Together shall provide security pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c) in the amount of $50,000”
Procedural preferences
In Melville’s employment case, he granted the defendants’ summary-judgment motion and ordered judgment in their favor.
“Defendants' motion for summary judgment (Doc. 67) is GRANTED. The Clerk shall enter judgment as set forth herein in favor of Defendants and close this case.”
In the reviewed arbitration-default case, he rejected a new award calculation first raised in objections to the magistrate judge’s recommendation because that process addresses errors in the recommendation, not a party’s earlier omission.
“chance to point to errors made by the magistrate judge, not an invitation”
Cautions
In Bereznak’s vaccine-mandate suit, he adopted the magistrate judge’s recommendation, granted dismissal, and dismissed the claims with prejudice.
“The MOTION TO DISMISS, Doc. 13, is GRANTED; the RECOMMENDATION of Judge O'Hara, Doc. 29, is ACCEPTED and ADOPTED; and Plaintiff's claims are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Defendants' motion for summary judgment (Doc. 67) is GRANTED. The Clerk shall enter judgment as set forth herein in favor of Defendants and close this case.”
“The Court GRANTS Plaintiff's Summary Judgment Motion (Doc. 62) in part. The Court DECLARES that Defendants' proposal is not an eligible facilities request under 47 U.S.C. § 1455(a)(1) and 47 C.F.R. § 1.6100. The Court DENIES the remainder of Plaintiff's Summary Judgment Motion”
“and DENIES Defendants' Summary Judgment Motion (Doc. 61).”
“the Court determines that Officer Traudt is entitled to qualified immunity and GRANTS his motion for summary judgment (Doc. 83).”
“The MOTION TO DISMISS, Doc. 13, is GRANTED; the RECOMMENDATION of Judge O'Hara, Doc. 29, is ACCEPTED and ADOPTED; and Plaintiff's claims are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
“ORDER DENYING AXIO DEFENDANTS' MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART FITNESS TOGETHER FRANCHISE LLC'S MOTION FOR A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION”
“Enjoined Parties are hereby ENJOINED from having any direct or indirect interest ... in any 'Competitive Business' ... located or operating within a three-mile radius ... [and] from copying, disclosing, or using 'Proprietary Assets' ... and from displaying, infringing upon, or using ... Fitness Together's ... trademarks ... It is FURTHER ORDERED that Fitness Together shall provide security pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c) in the amount of $50,000”
“Defendant's Fed. R. Civ. P. 12 Motion to Dismiss [Doc. 24] is GRANTED and the case is DISMISSED.”
“Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 162) is GRANTED, and Mr. Noe's Fourth Amended Complaint (Doc. 156) is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE; ... Mr. Noe's Motion for Permission to File an Amended Complaint (Doc. 204) is DENIED.”
“Mr. Noe's Motion for Preliminary Injunction or Protective Order (Doc. 202) is DENIED AS MOOT”
“The Motions for Summary Judgment, Dkt. 64, 65, 67, 68, are GRANTED;”
“The Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment, Doc. 43, is GRANTED.”
“The Defendants’ MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT (Docs. 68, 70, 74) are GRANTED;”
“The Plaintiffs’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT (Doc. 72) is DENIED; and”
“The Defendants’ MOTION TO STRIKE SHAM DECLARATIONS (Doc. 102) is DENIED AS MOOT.”
“the Verified Petition for Habeas Corpus, Doc. 1, is DENIED and DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE;”
“The petitioner's Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, Doc. 2, is DENIED AS MOOT;”
“Plaintiff’s Motion for Default Judgment (Doc. 11) is GRANTED”
“Havana’s Application to Confirm Award of Arbitrator (Doc. 1) is granted”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The directly assigned 2026 cases are dominated by an alien-detainee habeas surge under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, alongside a constitutional challenge to a Colorado statute and a patent case. Those recent matters remain largely pending. Two older sampled civil dockets supply five filing-to-ruling intervals; this sample does not describe the full caseload.
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 | 19 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 19 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 20 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 23 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 29 |
| Mar 2024 | 6 | 32 |
| Sep 2023 | 103 | 47 |
| Mar 2023 | 151 | 40 |
| Sep 2022 | 189 | 44 |
| Mar 2022 | 185 | 30 |
| Sep 2021 | 121 | 26 |
| Mar 2021 | 88 | 14 |
| Sep 2020 | 49 | 7 |
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 District of Colorado, not for Judge Domenico: 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 | 2,669 | 7.7 months |
| Closed with no court action | 497 | 7.6 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 2,076 | 7.2 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 63 | 26.2 months |
| Closed during trial | 33 | 39.3 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 2,669 | 7.7 months |
| Sep 2024 | 2,704 | 7.4 months |
| Sep 2023 | 2,560 | 8.5 months |
| Sep 2022 | 2,614 | 9 months |
| Sep 2021 | 2,637 | 8.1 months |
| Sep 2020 | 2,637 | 7.6 months |
| Sep 2019 | 2,577 | 7.5 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).
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