Jonathan James Canada Grey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Appointed by Joe Biden (Democratic) 12 signed orders read

How Judge Grey decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

Denies a dispositive motion as moot where the case is dismissed with prejudice for failure to prosecute after repeated noncompliance with court orders.

“defendants’ motion to dismiss and for summary judgment (ECF No. 20) is DENIED AS MOOT. ... this cause of action is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”

Procedural preferences

On a multi-defendant summary-judgment motion, grants it as to some defendants and denies it as to others based on the specific record for each.

“the MDOC Defendants’ motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 32) is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART ... GRANTED as to Flakes’ claims against Adams, Bugbee, Cooper, Grossett, Parsons, Ramirez, and Vandecasteele, and DENIED as to Flakes’ claims against Horvath and Reed.”

Cautions

In prisoner cases, grants a defendant summary judgment on PLRA failure-to-exhaust, dismissing the unexhausted claims without prejudice.

“The Court GRANTS Reed’s motion for summary judgment. (ECF No. 46.) The Court DISMISSES WITHOUT PREJUDICE Casey’s claims against Reed.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Kozak Wolfgang Escoe v. James Peterson, et al.
2:23-cv-11012-JJCG-CI · 2024-08-13
Summary judgment (defendant) Moot / procedural

“defendants’ motion to dismiss and for summary judgment (ECF No. 20) is DENIED AS MOOT. ... this cause of action is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”

Deondre Casey v. Ivan Reed, et al.
2:22-cv-12604-JJCG-PTM · 2024-08-21
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“The Court GRANTS Reed’s motion for summary judgment. (ECF No. 46.) The Court DISMISSES WITHOUT PREJUDICE Casey’s claims against Reed.”

William Guldi v. General Motors, LLC
2:22-cv-11488-JJCG-DRG · 2024-09-21
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“GM’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 44) is GRANTED. ... this cause of action is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”

Jason Flakes v. Lisa Reed, et al.
2:24-cv-10475-JJCG-APP · 2025-03-21
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted in part

“the MDOC Defendants’ motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 32) is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART ... GRANTED as to Flakes’ claims against Adams, Bugbee, Cooper, Grossett, Parsons, Ramirez, and Vandecasteele, and DENIED as to Flakes’ claims against Horvath and Reed.”

Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“Russell’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 34) is GRANTED.”

Michael H. Hensley, Jr. v. Frashaun Darrough
2:23-cv-11226-JJCG-CI · 2025-03-26
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“Darrough’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 26) is GRANTED. ... this cause of action is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”

Allen v. Holden
2:23-cv-11404 · 2025-05-19
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted

“motion to dismiss (ECF No. 42) is GRANTED.”

Ranney v. Dolgencorp, LLC
2:23-cv-12550 · 2025-08-25
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the Court finds that no reasonable jury could find that there was a foreseeable risk of the injury Ranney suffered.”

Motion for leave to amend (plaintiff) Denied

“is DENIED, as an amendment would be futile.”

Aoun v. Sayed
2:25-cv-10685 · 2025-08-27
Motions to remand (plaintiff) Granted

“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this case SHALL BE REMANDED to the Wayne County Circuit Court.”

Motions to dismiss (defendant) Moot / procedural

“the pending motion to dismiss and pending motion to stay (ECF Nos. 4, 7) are DENIED AS MOOT due to lack of original jurisdiction.”

Smith v. Markwell
2:23-cv-11067 · 2025-09-04
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted in part

“defendant Grand Prairie Healthcare Services is DISMISSED from this cause of action.”

United States v. Phillips
2:25-cr-20029 · 2025-09-26
Motion to suppress (defendant) Denied

“the motion to suppress (ECF No. 46) is DENIED where the Court finds that Defendant Phillips lacks standing”

Bonds v. Christiansen
2:24-cv-11828 · 2025-09-29
Motions to dismiss (respondent) Granted

“the Court GRANTS the motion to dismiss (ECF No. 8) and DISMISSES the petition for writ of habeas corpus.”

Ali-Bey v. Van Hoose
2:25-cv-12059 · 2025-10-06

After granting in forma pauperis status, the court screened the pro se complaint under 28 U.S.C. 1915(e)(2)(B) and dismissed it without prejudice as frivolous and barred by the Rooker-Feldman and Younger abstention doctrines. Quote: "IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this cause of action is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE and shall be designated as CLOSED on the docket."

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

The reviewed matters filed since Judge Grey's March 2023 commission reflect a broad civil docket that includes prisoner civil rights, disability and employment discrimination, employee benefits, wage-and-hour, debt-collection, insurance, Social Security, federal tort, motor-vehicle, racketeering, and real-property cases. His duty assignments also include civil-forfeiture and warrant matters, which are not treated as merits cases.

Put Judge Grey's record to work

Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Grey actually rules, not a generic AI guess.

Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Grey's own signed orders and cites them.