Walter Maximillian Bastian
How Judge Bastian rules, drawn from 11 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Bastian no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Bastian decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Invalidated agency action adopted without the notice, hearing, evidence, and argument required by governing procedure.
“The position taken by the Board is one which would hack away at the Administrative Procedure Act.”
Preserved citizenship where the plaintiff returned to the United States with intent to remain and left again only after failing to find suitable work.
“the plaintiff did in fact return to the country of his adoption with the intent to stay there”
Procedural preferences
Required exhaustion when the administrative process might vindicate the claimant or resolve the legal defense without court intervention.
“Courts have no right to anticipate the final administrative decision.”
Distinguished patent-priority disputes requiring the rival claimant from registrability disputes in which public officials represent the relevant interest.
“The Courts make then a distinction between cases involving priority and cases involving the right of one party to registration.”
Cautions
Resolved reasonable doubt about the reach of a criminal statute for the defendant at the post-verdict stage.
“I resolve this reasonable doubt in favor of the defendant.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the motion of the plaintiff for summary judgment must be denied and that the motion of the Defendant Seminary for summary judgment must be granted.”
“judgment declaring plaintiff a citizen of the United States and entitled to a passport permitting his re-entry into the United States.”
“The Court will grant plaintiffs’ motion for a summary judgment”
“The complaint, therefore, will be dismissed.”
“The complaint will be dismissed.”
“The motion to dismiss the complaint will be granted.”
“The motion to dismiss will be granted.”
“the motion to dismiss will be overruled”
“The defendant’s motion in arrest of judgment is granted”
“The complaint will be dismissed.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Bastian's located District of Columbia decisions include administrative, antitrust, citizenship, patent, trademark, probate, and criminal matters. The complete published set does not support a quantified caseload estimate.
A historical record
Judge Bastian no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.