John Michael Seabright
How Judge Seabright decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In a Section 1983 claim against a nonprofit that received government Medicaid funding, he held government funding and regulatory oversight alone do not convert a private entity's employment decisions into state action, and that the challenged conduct must itself relate to the government function, not merely occur within a regulated relationship.
“the specific conduct of which the plaintiff complains ... is employment discrimination, not any implementation of Medicaid funding or its goals ... Full Life's employment decisions (even if discriminatory) are not those of the government.”
On successive habeas/2255 motions he applies the second-or-successive doctrine strictly: a claim is barred if its factual predicate existed at the time of an earlier motion, regardless of what that earlier motion actually argued.
“the factual predicate for each of these claims existed when the First Section 2255 Motion was filed ... making the Second Section 2255 Motion second or successive.”
On compassionate release, he treats a defendant's vaccine refusal as undercutting the extraordinary-and-compelling showing, and independently weighs the time remaining on a sentence heavily under the Section 3553(a) factors, sometimes denying on that basis alone even where health conditions are serious.
“an inmate's refusal of a COVID-19 vaccination undercuts that inmate's assertion of extraordinary and compelling circumstances justifying compassionate release.”
Procedural preferences
He enforces pretrial motion deadlines strictly in criminal cases and will not excuse late motions absent a legitimate, specific explanation -- counsel's admission that an issue 'should have been caught' but was not is insufficient good cause.
“Defendant proffers no ‘legitimate explanation’ for the failure to file both motions in a timely manner. ... The absence of any explanation is fatal to a finding of good cause.”
In multi-plaintiff FLSA/class litigation, he uses Rule 21 severance and newly-opened, administratively-closed case files to manage parties who must arbitrate, rather than dismissing them outright, preserving their rights while decluttering the lead docket.
“Rule 21 severance creates two discrete, independent actions, which then proceed as separate suits for the purpose of finality and appealability.”
Cautions
Pro se litigants receive real latitude (e.g., reinstating a case after a good-faith but unrecognized attempt to pay a filing fee), but sprawling, unparticularized complaints against dozens of defendants will still be dismissed, and a follow-up filing that does not address the court's specific instructions on how to cure the defects will end the case without further leave to amend.
“Plaintiff fails to identify any basis to amend her federal claims to cure the defects identified in the court's August 22 Order.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“For the reasons stated above, the court GRANTS Bane's Motion for Reconsideration, and exercises its discretion to maintain jurisdiction over Bane's IIED claim.”
“In turning to the merits of Bane's IIED claim, the court GRANTS Defendant's Motions for Summary Judgment on this claim.”
“Based on the above, the court DENIES Defendant NCL America LLC's Motion for Reconsideration of the December 14, 2012 Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Defendant NCL America LLC's Motion for Summary Judgment.”
“Based on the foregoing, the court finds that Plaintiff failed to comply with LR 56.1 and failed to establish that she is entitled to judgment on her civil RICO claim. Therefore, her Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED.”
“Based on the foregoing, the court DENIES Plaintiffs' Rule 60(b) Motion for Reconsideration, ECF No. 43.”
“For the foregoing reasons, the court GRANTS a preliminary injunction, and the Motion is GRANTED with relief limited as described above.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that, pursuant to Title 28, United States Code, Section 636(b)(1)(C) and Local Rule 74.1, the PROPOSED FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION GRANTING PLAINTIFF PRAETORIAN INSURANCE COMPANY'S MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AGAINST DEFENDANT THE ESTATE OF JOSHUA K. APO are adopted as the opinion and order of this Court.”
“In sum, the court finds that Defendant has not established the requisite extraordinary and compelling reasons to warrant compassionate release, and, even if he did, the court would deny the motion based on the relevant § 3553(a) factors. ... For the foregoing reasons, Defendant's Motion for Compassionate Release or a Recommendation for Home Confinement, ECF No. 286, is DENIED.”
“For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiff's Motion to Remand, ECF No. 24, is GRANTED and the case is remanded back to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawaii. The Clerk of Court is directed to close the case file.”
“All four elements of Winter are satisfied. GLSS is a partnership. Tanjuakio must treat it as such. He must comply with fiduciary duties. Accordingly, the court enters a temporary restraining order as follows, the language of which is based on a post-TRO hearing agreement between Plaintiffs and Tanjuakio.”
“For the foregoing reasons, Defendant's Second Compassionate Release Motion, ECF No. 113, is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.”
“Having found Defendant's Second § 2255 Motion to be second or successive, the Motion is DISMISSED and the Clerk of Court is directed to refer the matter to the Ninth Circuit pursuant to Rule 22-3(a).”
“DENIES Defendant's Motion for Bail, ECF No. 172.”
“Because this court has no authority to provide the relief Petitioner seeks, and because any amendment would be futile, the Motion for Writ of Mandamus, ECF No. 1, is DENIED without leave to amend.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The sampled dockets span employment discrimination, insurance coverage/ERISA collections, copyright (a recurring Strike 3 Holdings BitTorrent-infringement filer), personal-injury removals, and immigration/habeas matters -- a broad general civil docket typical of a senior judge still carrying a full assignment. Many sampled cases resolved by stipulated dismissal, settlement, or administrative closure pending arbitration rather than a ruled dispositive motion, consistent with a caseload where most disputes settle or are diverted to arbitration before judgment.
Put Judge Seabright's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Seabright actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Seabright's own signed orders and cites them.