Wendy Williams Berger
How Judge Berger rules, drawn from 26 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Berger
Wendy Williams Berger has served as a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida since July 29, 2019. Before her federal appointment, she served on Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal and Seventh Judicial Circuit. She earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from Florida State University.
Judge Berger's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Berger, as published on the court's website (checked October 12, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
- Standing Order of Judge Berger on Revised Local Rules ↗
- Standing Order of Judge Berger on AI ↗
- Case Management Report in Patent Cases ↗
- Exhibit Certification Form ↗
- Preferences ↗
Key rules
Filing
Use at least 12-point Arial type, including indented quotations and footnotes, in pleadings and motions.
“shall be in at least 12-point Arial typeface, including all indented quotations, footnotes, and endnotes.”
Filing
All parties must certify at the end of every filing whether generative AI was used in drafting it.
“the undersigned requires all parties appearing before her, through counsel or pro se, to certify at the end of any filing:”
Filing
When AI drafted any language, the filer must certify human review for accuracy and verify cited authorities.
“language drafted by AI—even if later edited by a human—was personally reviewed by the filer or another human for accuracy and that all legal citations reference actual, non-fictitious cases or cited authority and accurately reflect the contents of such authority.”
Filing
A filing without the required AI certification may be stricken without substantive review or leave to amend.
“Filings that do not comply with this Order may be stricken without substantive consideration and without leave to amend.”
Filing
In criminal cases, the government must file a count-by-count notice of maximum penalty within fourteen days after the charge is docketed.
“In all criminal cases, the Government shall file a notice of maximum penalty as to each count charged in the charging document no later than fourteen days after the charge is docketed in the proceeding.”
Motions
A response to a summary judgment motion may be filed within thirty days after service.
“a party may respond to a motion for summary judgment within thirty days after service of the motion.”
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 10, 2026).
How Judge Berger decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In a selected detention case, the court ordered a bond hearing or release under the statutory detention framework.
“Within seven days of the date of this Order, Respondents shall”
In the trade secrets dispute, the court found a fee request premature to strike before the claimant had a chance to prove its statutory basis.
“Collins’s request is thus premature and will be denied.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 77) is GRANTED.”
“Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss the First Amended Class Action Complaint (Doc. 35) is DENIED as moot.”
“Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Class Action Complaint for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction (Doc. 40) is GRANTED.”
“Lockheed’s Motion to Dismiss Amended Complaint (Doc. 88) is GRANTED”
“Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Second Amended Complaint (Doc. 30) is GRANTED.”
“Collins’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 28) is DENIED.”
“Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 22) is GRANTED to the extent that the”
“Reexaminations of the Asserted Patents (Doc. 45) is DENIED without”
“Defendant’s Unopposed Motion for Leave to File Reply (Doc. 48) is DENIED.”
“Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 67) is DENIED.”
“Appellee’s Motion to Dismiss Appeal (Doc. 14) is GRANTED”
“The Petition (Doc. 1) is GRANTED to the extent that Petitioner is entitled to”
“The Amended Petition (Doc. 3) is DISMISSED as moot.”
“The Warden’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 10) is DENIED as moot.”
“The Amended Petition (Doc. 8) is DISMISSED as moot.”
“The Petition (Doc. 1) is DISMISSED without prejudice.”
“The Warden’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 10) is DENIED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
These selected matters illustrate the range of issues in the reviewed orders, not the composition of the judge's full docket.
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.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, not for Judge Berger: 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 | 6,896 | 5.5 months |
| Closed with no court action | 49 | 3.5 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 6,492 | 5.2 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 319 | 14.7 months |
| Closed during trial | 36 | 24.2 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 6,896 | 5.5 months |
| Sep 2024 | 7,115 | 5.6 months |
| Sep 2023 | 6,777 | 5.5 months |
| Sep 2022 | 6,781 | 6.7 months |
| Sep 2021 | 6,749 | 6.2 months |
| Sep 2020 | 6,392 | 6.2 months |
| Sep 2019 | 6,830 | 5.7 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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