Deborah Lynn Boardman
How Judge Boardman rules, drawn from 16 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
How Judge Boardman decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In securities class actions she applies the PSLRA's heightened falsity and scienter pleading standard misstatement by misstatement, sustaining the adequately pleaded ones while dismissing the rest, and lets a Section 20(a) control-person claim proceed only to the extent the underlying Section 10(b) claim survives.
“For the foregoing reasons, the motion to dismiss is granted in part and denied in part.”
Procedural preferences
She resolves motions to dismiss claim by claim, dismissing some claims without prejudice while letting others survive, and identifies the proper defendant (dismissing an improperly named entity with prejudice while leaving individual defendants without prejudice).
“The Board's motion to dismiss Polk's complaint is granted in part and denied in part. Polk's First Amendment claims are dismissed without prejudice. Her Title VII claim survives.”
Cautions
She enforces the exhaustion requirement in prisoner and detainee civil-rights suits, dismissing claims without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies and declining to reach an undeveloped qualified-immunity argument.
“the defendants' motion, construed as a motion to dismiss, is granted. Snyder's claims are dismissed without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The motion to dismiss is granted, and Lee's complaint is dismissed.”
“Lee's request for leave to amend is denied.”
“Because the Court dismisses Lee's complaint, his motion for reconsideration of the denial of his request for counsel is denied as moot.”
“The Board's motion to dismiss Polk's complaint is granted in part and denied in part. Polk's First Amendment claims are dismissed without prejudice. Her Title VII claim survives.”
“Polk is not entitled to a preliminary injunction on her Title VII claim. Her motion for a preliminary injunction is denied.”
“the defendants' motion, construed as a motion to dismiss, is granted. Snyder's claims are dismissed without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies”
“For the foregoing reasons, the motion to dismiss is granted in part and denied in part.”
“To the extent Mr. Bourne's opposition, ECF 18, and surreply, ECF 22, may be construed as motions to strike the defendants' motion to dismiss and opposition, the motions are denied because the filings are not pleadings”
“the Court denies the defendants' motion for attorneys' fees, costs, or sanctions. Mr. Bourne is self-represented, and the defendants have not shown that he has 'abuse[d] the judicial process'”
“the Court dismisses Goodman's petition for a writ of habeas corpus and denies a certificate of appealability.”
“Doe's emergency motion for injunctive and structural relief, ECF 5, IS DENIED AS MOOT”
“plaintiff's motion to proceed under pseudonym, ECF 4, IS GRANTED”
Suit transferred from the District of Massachusetts under 28 U.S.C. 1404(a) against six current or former Maryland state-court judges, a former U.S. District Judge, and a Fourth Circuit judge. The court dismissed it sua sponte without prejudice for lack of jurisdiction and, alternatively, as barred by absolute judicial immunity under Stump v. Sparkman. The disposition did not resolve a party motion.
“PrimeCare’s motion to dismiss is granted.”
“Craig and Evitts’s dispositive motion, treated in part as a motion to dismiss and in part as a motion for summary judgment, is granted in part and denied in part.”
“Beddow, Reynolds, and White’s dispositive motion, treated in part as a motion to dismiss and in part as a motion for summary judgment, is granted in part and denied in part.”
“The adversary process has not been halted here. The motion for default judgment is denied.”
“The motion for leave to amend is denied as moot.”
“The motions to dismiss or, in the alternative, for summary judgment, construed as motions to dismiss, are granted. Long’s claims against all defendants are dismissed without prejudice.”
“MCM’s motion to compel arbitration, ECF 13, is GRANTED;”
“The medical defendants’ motion to dismiss is denied without prejudice.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 162 days (N = 9).
Median motion-to-ruling time: 15 days (N = 1).
- A filing-window sample of cases filed December 2023 shows a broad civil mix: consumer/FDCPA (Tolson v. Midland Credit), copyright (Strike 3 Holdings BitTorrent x3), immigration mandamus (Cham Nkuo v. Mayorkas), transit-employer (Bourne v. WMATA), pro se civil-rights (El-Bey, Lewis), plus high-profile 2025 constitutional/administrative challenges to federal executive action (Casa Inc. v. Trump).
- Sits in the Northern Division (Baltimore).
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