Joseph Louis Tauro
Judge Tauro no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Tauro decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Tauro treated a multi-year agency delay as unreasonable when the agency had a mandatory duty to decide, even though the ultimate result remained discretionary.
“A grant of adjustment of status is not ‘legally required,’ but adjudication of the application one way or the other certainly is.”
Tauro enforced commercial forum-selection agreements after reading incorporated contracts together as a single transaction.
“[T]he contracting parties are bound to the forum selected in their contract.”
Procedural preferences
Tauro required a concrete explanation for missed deadlines and gave the reason for delay the greatest weight in the equitable excusable-neglect analysis.
“The moving party must, at minimum, provide a ‘satisfactory explanation for the late filing.’”
Tauro allowed limited discovery before resolving jurisdiction when the governing immunity question depended on facts not apparent from the complaint.
“Discovery is necessary to determine: (1) the significance of the quoted program statements, (2) the existence of any other mandatory directives, (3) whether prison staff violated these directives, and (4) whether prison staff made a discretionary judgment not based on public policy considerations.”
Cautions
Tauro declined to create a new state-law tort where the state’s own courts had repeatedly refused to recognize it.
“Accordingly, Plaintiffs cannot prevail on this count as a matter of law”
Tauro warned parties in transnational litigation that secretive steps threatening the court’s jurisdiction could prompt sanctions.
“The court expects Star Reefers to comport itself, both before this court and in matters affecting this court’s jurisdiction over this litigation, in a manner consistent with the values of openness and procedural fairness inherent in the American court system.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
After an appellate remand, Tauro returned the matter for reassignment because neither local-rule exception supported retaining it. The order stated: “For the above-stated reasons, this court hereby orders that this case shall be returned to the clerk for reassignment.”
“Defendants’, Newbury Fine Dining Inc. and Lyons Group Ltd., Motion for Partial Summary Judgment [# 52] is ALLOWED.”
“Defendant’s, Newbury Fine Dining Inc., Motion to Compel Compliance with Court Orders and to Provide Complete Responses to Discovery [# 55] is DENIED”
“Plaintiffs Motion for Default Pursuant to FedR.Civ.P. 55 [# 59] is DENIED as MOOT.”
“Plaintiffs Motion to Amend Stipulation of Facts [# 61] is ALLOWED.”
“Motion in Limine to Preclude Plaintiffs Altered Surveillance Videotape [# 68] is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.”
“Motion for a Jury View [# 86] is DENIED.”
“Motion to Bifurcate Trial [# 99] is DENIED.”
“Defendant’s, Jeffrey Reiman, Motion to Bifurcate Trial [# 100] is DENIED.”
“Plaintiffs Motion to Preclude Evidence of Past Crimes of Joseph Citino [# 103] is ALLOWED.”
“Plaintiffs Motion to Compel the Production of Video Surveillance of the Plaintiff Taken by Defendants Newbury Fine Dining Inc. and The Lyons Group Ltd. [# 112] is DENIED.”
“Plaintiffs Motion to Quash a Subpoena Issued to Paul Pappa [#115] is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.”
“Motion to Strike the Affidavit of Robert Deliseo [# 117] is ALLOWED.”
“For the above-stated reasons, Plaintiffs Motion for an Extension of Time for Appeal is DENIED.”
“For the foregoing reasons, Defendant Cabezas’s Petition for Relief [# 8] is DENIED.”
“The order by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts is AFFIRMED.”
“Appellee’s Motion to Dismiss [# 10] and Appellee’s Motion to Strike the Appellant’s Appendix [# 14] are DENIED AS MOOT.”
“Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss [# 10] is DENIED”
“Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment [# 12] is ALLOWED”
“Defendants’ Motion to Defer Consideration of Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judqment [# 17] is DENIED”
“Credit Control Services’s ' Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings [# 10] is ALLOWED.”
“Because Vinson has conceded this claim, her request for dismissal is ALLOWED.”
“Defendant ODW’s Motion to Transfer [# 7] is ALLOWED. This case is transferred to the Southern District of Ohio.”
“Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Complaint is ALLOWED”
“Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss is ALLOWED and Plaintiffs Motion to Consolidate & Motion for Leave to File is DENIED.”
“Because this court hereby dismisses Plaintiffs complaint and denies Plaintiffs motion for leave to amend, Plaintiffs motion to consolidate this action with other actions pending in this district is moot.”
“Plaintiffs Motion to Remand to State Court [# 6] is ALLOWED and Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss the Third Cause of Action of Plaintiff s Complaint [#7] is DENIED AS MOOT.”
“Plaintiffs’ Emergency Motion for Issuance of an International Antisuit Injunction [# 66] is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.”
“PNC’s Motion to Dismiss Amended Complaint [# 9] is ALLOWED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 920 days (N = 5).
The twenty located dockets form a single historical filing cohort rather than a career-wide or random caseload sample. They include contract, prisoner, immigration, civil-rights, benefits, personal-injury, banking, maritime, and federal-employment matters; all twenty were terminated.
A historical record
Judge Tauro 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.