Katherine A. Robertson
How Judge Robertson decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
On a pretrial-detention motion she gives controlling weight to a defendant's demonstrated record of compliance during a prior release over the statutory presumption: a defendant who appeared as required for months on comparable state charges, with strong community ties and no prior record, can rebut the Bail Reform Act presumption even on a serious fentanyl/firearm indictment. To defeat detention before her, marshal concrete evidence of past compliance and community ties.
“Most persuasive to the court is that fact that Defendant has been on pretrial release on state court charges for some seven months, facing a sentence similar to the sentence he faces in this court. He did not leave the jurisdiction, and he has consistently appeared as required”
Procedural preferences
She enforces Local Rule 56.1: when the non-movant fails to file a counter-statement controverting the movant's statement of undisputed material facts, those facts are deemed admitted and summary judgment follows. File a record-cited LR 56.1 counter-statement to create a triable dispute.
“When moving parties submit statements of undisputed material facts and the nonmovant fails to file a counter statement identifying evidence of factual disputes, the facts set forth by the moving parties are deemed admitted. Local Rule 56.1.”
Motion outcomes
Counted from classified signed orders only. Percentages are shown only where the sample is large enough to be meaningful; smaller samples are reported as raw counts.
| Summary judgment N = 3 |
Granted: 2Granted in part: 1 | counts only |
| Motions to dismiss N = 1 |
Granted: 1 | counts only |
| Motions to strike N = 1 |
Granted: 1 | counts only |
| Motion for pretrial detention N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
A "1 of 1" is one ruling, not a tendency. Treat small samples as illustrative, not predictive.
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the court GRANTS Defendants' motion to strike (Dkt. No. 58)”
“GRANTS Defendants' motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 46) as to Counts I, II, and III. Defendants' motion for summary judgment is DENIED without prejudice as to Counts V through XI, which will be remanded to Superior Court”
“the court finds that there are conditions that will reasonably assure the safety of the community if Defendant is released pending trial.”
“Judge Robertson recommended the court grant the motions for summary judgment on the issue of Plaintiff's entitlement to equitable tolling filed by SPS and BSEA. ... the court hereby ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation.”
“Judge Robertson recommended the court grant the motions for summary judgment on the issue of Plaintiff's entitlement to equitable tolling filed by SPS and BSEA.”
“the court, upon de novo review, hereby ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation. ... Defendants' motions to dismiss (Dkt. Nos. 17, 31, 64, 66, and 74) are hereby GRANTED.”
28 U.S.C. 1915(e) IFP SCREENING (excluded_from_stats). Robertson denied the initial IFP motion, granted the renewed IFP motion, and recommended dismissal for failure to state a claim and because defendants (a state court + judge) are immune; ADOPTED, case DISMISSED without prejudice. Counts as an order read, not toward motion stats.
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median motion-to-ruling time: 179 days (N = 2).
U.S. Magistrate Judge, Springfield (3:) with some Worcester (4:) matters. Mixed docket: 636(c) consent civil (Grenier ADA-employment), referral R&Rs for the Springfield district judges (Mastroianni, Ponsor), Social-Security appeals, pro se prisoner/IFP screening, and criminal duty-magistrate work (initial appearances, detention, mj criminal complaints). Retiring; no quantitative nature-of-suit census computed this pass.