Joan Glazer Margolis
How Judge Margolis rules, drawn from 2 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Margolis no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Margolis
Joan Glazer Margolis served as a full-time United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Connecticut from February 1985 through April 2018. She then continued on recall and held settlement conferences for the court.
How Judge Margolis decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Koutrakos v. Astrue, she recommended granting the claimant’s motion to reverse and remanding the benefits case; the district judge approved her recommendation.
“This Court APPROVES the Magistrate Judge's Recommended Ruling ... Plaintiffs Motion to Reverse the Decision of the Commissioner [Doc. 19] is GRANTED, and the case is REMANDED pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 405(g) for further proceedings consistent with this Ruling.”
Procedural preferences
In McNamara v. Lantz, she recommended summary judgment for the defendants, and the district judge adopted her recommendation.
“the recommended ruling of the Magistrate Judge [Doc. No. 60] is accepted and adopted. Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. No. 47] is granted, and judgment shall enter accordingly.”
Cautions
In Leroy v. Colvin, she recommended denying the claimant’s motion and granting the Commissioner’s cross-motion.
“Judge Margolis recommended that Leroy's motion be denied and the Commissioner's cross-motion be granted.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the recommended ruling of the Magistrate Judge [Doc. No. 60] is accepted and adopted. Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. No. 47] is granted, and judgment shall enter accordingly.”
“in a seven page ruling issued on September 5, 2008, Magistrate Judge Margolis denied the Motion for Reconsideration. [Doc. No. 69]”
“Magistrate Judge Joan Glazer Margolis issued a Recommended Ruling granting summary judgment to Plaintiff Gail A. Lanoue and denying it to Defendant Prudential ... Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. # 29] is GRANTED.”
“ADOPTS the Recommended Ruling [Doc # 45]. Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. # 30] is DENIED ...”
“Magistrate Judge Margolis’s recommended rulings granted plaintiffs motion in part, such that Plaintiffs disability claim matter would be remanded to the Social Security Administration (‘SSA’) with instructions, and denied the Commissioner’s motion to affirm.”
“The Defendant's Motion to Affirm the Decision of the Commissioner [Doc. 23] is DENIED.”
“Judge Margolis filed a Recommended Ruling (‘R.R.’) which, if accepted by the Court, would affirm the decision of the Commissioner and deny Plaintiff disability benefits. ... Plaintiffs Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings [Doc. 8] is DENIED. Defendant’s Motion to Affirm the Decision of the Commissioner [Doc. 12] is DENIED. The Court does not adopt the Recommended Ruling [Doc. 15].”
“In a Recommended Ruling (‘RR’) [Doc. 24], Judge Margolis recommended that Leroy’s motion be denied and the Commissioner’s cross-motion be granted. ... Accordingly, Plaintiffs Motion [Doc. # 19] is GRANTED to the extent it seeks a remand for a new hearing, and the Commissioner’s Motion [Doc.# 23] is DENIED.”
“Plaintiffs Motion for Order Reversing the Decision of the Commissioner, or in the alternative, Motion for Remand for a Rehearing [Doc. #16] is GRANTED IN PART”
“Defendant's Motion for Order Affirming the Decision of the Commissioner ... is DENIED”
“Defendant's Motion to Strike Plaintiffs Motion and for Reconsideration ... [Doc. # 18] is DENIED”
“Magistrate Judge Joan Glazer Margolis issued a Recommended Ruling granting plaintiffs motion in part and remanding the matter 'for further supplementation of the record by a vocational expert and further consideration by an [Administrative Law Judge]' ... the Recommended Ruling will be approved and adopted.”
“defendant’s Motion [Doc. # 49] is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part, as detailed in the Recommended Ruling.”
“defendant Town of Stratford's Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 75) is granted in part and denied in part such that summary judgment is entered in defendant Town's favor on Counts One, Two, Three, and Seven, and on Count Five with respect to plaintiffs prior lawsuit, and summary judgment is denied on Count Five with respect to plaintiffs union membership and activity”
“defendant Miron's Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 77) is granted in part and denied in part such that summary judgment is granted on Count Eight and on Count Six with respect to plaintiffs prior lawsuit, and summary judgment is denied on Count Six with respect to plaintiffs union membership and activity”
“plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 79) is denied on Counts Five and Six”
“plaintiffs Motions to Strike (Dkts. ## 86, 87, 97) are denied”
“this Magistrate Judge filed a Ruling on Defendant Town of Stratford's Motion to Dismiss the Fourth Cause of Action, granting defendant Town's Motion on grounds that plaintiff failed to allege that she was subjected to 'discipline' within the meaning of Conn. Gen.Stat. 31-51q.”
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 | 1 |
| 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 Margolis 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.