Karen Wells Roby
How Judge Roby rules, drawn from 44 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Roby
Karen Wells Roby has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana since February 1999. She served as the court’s Chief Magistrate Judge from 2017 to 2021 and teaches digital evidence as an adjunct at Tulane University Law School.
Judge Roby's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Roby, 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.
- Judge's procedures and schedules ↗
- Division4 ESI Protocol ↗
- ESI Discovery Protocol-Criminal Case ↗
- Sample for Protective Order ↗
- Magistrate Judge Roby Consent Form ↗
Key rules
Contacting chambers
Do not directly email Judge Roby unless directed otherwise.
“Please note that Judge Roby does not authorize direct e-mail communications by lawyers to her court e-mail address unless directed otherwise.”
Motions
Notify Chambers when a motion is resolved before its scheduled hearing.
“It is the duty of the party that has filed a motion before the Court to notify the undersigned if the motion has been resolved, or otherwise disposed of prior to the date of the scheduled hearing, so that the matter may be removed from the Court's docket.”
Conferences
Notify Chambers when a case is resolved before its scheduled settlement conference.
“It is the duty of the plaintiff's counsel to notify the undersigned if this case is continued, settled, or otherwise disposed of prior to the date of the scheduled settlement conference, so that the matter may be removed from the Court's docket.”
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 Roby decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
In Vince's habeas case, Roby recommended dismissing the mixed petition without prejudice because two claims were unexhausted. She identified an alternative: amend the petition to proceed only on the two exhausted claims. The district judge adopted her recommendation.
“the report and recommendation ... of United States Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby. Magistrate Judge Roby recommends that the Court dismiss without prejudice Vince's 'mixed' habeas petition because Vince failed to exhaust state-court review of two of his four habeas claims ... '[A]s an alternative to dismissal,' however, Magistrate Judge Roby explains that Vince may amend his habeas petition to dismiss the two unexhausted habeas claims and to present only the two properly exhausted habeas claims. ... the Court overrules the objection, approves the report and recommendation, and adopts the report and recommendation as the Court's opinion.”
In a Social Security appeal involving an earlier protective filing date, she treated an agency notice that incorrectly stated the claimant was ineligible as misinformation and recommended retroactive benefits from the date of that notice.
“IT IS RECOMMENDED that the decision of the Administrative Law Judge be REVERSED and SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME BENEFITS BE AWARDED RETROACTIVELY FROM JULY 28, 2020 for reasons consistent with this opinion.”
In one personal-injury case, she quashed mental-health subpoenas because a generic emotional-distress allegation did not itself open all psychiatric records to discovery.
“the defendants suggested approach would automatically open a plaintiff’s mental health records to discovery in every case regardless of how generic the allegations of emotional distress may be just by virtue of the existence of an emotional distress claim.”
Cautions
In Rushing v. State of Louisiana, Roby recommended dismissing the § 2254 petition as time-barred. The district judge found no clear error, adopted her recommendation, and dismissed the petition with prejudice.
“David Rushing's petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. sec 2254 was referred to Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby for a Report and Recommendation ('R&R'). Magistrate Judge Roby subsequently recommended dismissal of the petition as time-barred. ... The Court finds no clear error. Thus, the Court adopts Magistrate Roby's R&R as its opinion. ... Rushing's petition for a writ of habeas corpus is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
Roby's own signed R&R ('/s/ KAREN WELLS ROBY, CHIEF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE'). Pro se prisoner sec1983 (in forma pauperis, referred under 28 U.S.C. 636(b)(1)(B)/(C), 1915e(2), 1915A). RECOMMENDED that 'Gonzalez's complaint against defendants Darrell Peters and Ronald Branch be DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE for failure to serve pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(m) and for failure to prosecute under Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b).' Plaintiff never served two defendants and did not comply with the show-cause order. Recommended dismissal with prejudice (clear record of delay; lesser sanctions futile: Berry v. CIGNA). This recommendation did not resolve a party motion. The available record does not establish whether the district judge later adopted it.
Roby's own signed R&R ('/s/ KAREN WELLS ROBY, UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE'). Pro se prisoner sec1983 conditions-of-confinement complaint (transferred in from W.D. La.; referred under 636(b)(1)(B)/(C), 1915e(2), 1915A, 42 U.S.C. 1997e). Plaintiff never cured deficiencies (no form complaint, no filing fee/pauper application) and did not respond to the show-cause order. RECOMMENDED: 'Elijah Brown's sec1983 civil rights complaint be DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE for his failure to prosecute pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 41(b).' Recommended dismissal without prejudice. This recommendation did not resolve a party motion. The available record does not establish whether the district judge later adopted it.
“David Rushing's petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. sec 2254 was referred to Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby for a Report and Recommendation ('R&R'). Magistrate Judge Roby subsequently recommended dismissal of the petition as time-barred. ... The Court finds no clear error. Thus, the Court adopts Magistrate Roby's R&R as its opinion. ... Rushing's petition for a writ of habeas corpus is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
“For the foregoing reasons, it is RECOMMENDED that Jerry Vince’s petition for issuance of a writ of habeas corpus filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 be DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE for failure to exhaust state court review.”
Sua sponte recommendation of Rule 41(b) failure-to-prosecute dismissal without prejudice of a pro se prisoner civil-rights complaint (no party motion).
Sua sponte recommendation to transfer venue of a pro se civil-rights case to the Central District of California (no party motion).
“Motion for Contempt (R. Doc. 28) is GRANTED.”
“Motion to Enforce Judgment (ECF No. 38) DENIED as premature.”
Sua sponte recommendation of Rule 41(b) failure-to-prosecute dismissal without prejudice of a pro se prisoner civil-rights complaint (no party motion).
“Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint (ECF No. 6) is DENIED.”
“IT IS ORDERED that plaintiff Jerrell Jheron McGown’s Motion to Appoint Counsel (ECF No. 6) is DENIED without prejudice to his right to re-urge his request after completion of the statutorily mandated screening review.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
- From the 10 enumerated consent dockets (filed 2022-2025): her 636(c) merits docket is dominated by TITLE VII EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION (42:2000e: Jefferson Parish/Plaquemines school boards, Tulane, charter schools) plus Social Security appeals (42:405) and prisoner civil rights (42:1983).
- Employment cases trend toward settlement at her conferences (she is a noted settlement judge).
- NOS/cause examples below.
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 | 2 |
| 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 Eastern District of Louisiana, not for Judge Roby: 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 | 10,411 | 79.9 months |
| Closed with no court action | 3,511 | 86.6 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 2,814 | 14.6 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 4,062 | 86.8 months |
| Closed during trial | 24 | 23.2 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 10,411 | 79.9 months |
| Sep 2024 | 6,506 | 10.7 months |
| Sep 2023 | 6,610 | 24.2 months |
| Sep 2022 | 8,635 | 69.4 months |
| Sep 2021 | 11,535 | 24.9 months |
| Sep 2020 | 16,631 | 36 months |
| Sep 2019 | 9,196 | 10.3 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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