Patricia T. Morris

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Appointed by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (merit-selected U.S. Magistrate Judge; magistrates are appointed by the district's Article III judges under 28 U.S.C. 631, not the President) 12 signed orders read

How Judge Morris decides

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

Procedural preferences

Her Social Security R&Rs are routinely adopted by the district judge; she recommends granting the Commissioner's summary judgment and affirming where the ALJ adequately articulated the weight given to treating-physician opinions under the 2017 regulations.

“the defendant’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 15) is GRANTED. The findings of the Commissioner are AFFIRMED.”

Cautions

On Social Security appeals she recommends affirming the Commissioner where substantial evidence supports the RFC, treating ALJ mischaracterizations of the treatment history and articulation gaps as harmless error.

“On July 31, 2019, Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris issued a Report and Recommendation (“R&R”) recommending that the Court deny Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment and grant Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment... The Court agrees with Magistrate Judge Morris’s analysis and ADOPTS the R&R.”

Signed rulings

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

Farmer v. Commissioner of Social Security
2:18-cv-13023-VAR-PTM · 2019-09-17
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“On July 31, 2019, Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris issued a Report and Recommendation (“R&R”) recommending that the Court deny Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment and grant Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment... The Court agrees with Magistrate Judge Morris’s analysis and ADOPTS the R&R.”

Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“The Court GRANTS the Commissioner’s Motion for Summary Judgment and DENIES Plaintiff’s Motion.”

Bundy v. Commissioner of Social Security
2:20-cv-10254-DML-PTM · 2021-03-31
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“Magistrate Judge Morris filed a report on January 29, 2021, recommending that the defendant’s motion for summary judgment be granted, the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment be denied, and the decision of the Commissioner be affirmed... the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 13) is DENIED.”

Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the defendant’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 15) is GRANTED. The findings of the Commissioner are AFFIRMED.”

Ingram v. Commissioner of Social Security
2:21-cv-10267-DML-PTM · 2022-02-10
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“the report issued on January 26, 2022 by Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b), recommending that the Court deny the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, grant the defendant’s motion for summary judgment, and affirm the Commissioner’s findings... the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 13) is DENIED.”

Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the defendant’s motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 14) is GRANTED. The findings of the Commissioner are AFFIRMED.”

Cassaday v. Dow Chemical Co.
1:22-cv-11555-TLL-PTM · 2022-08-10

28 U.S.C. 1915(e)(2) pro se screening recommendation, resolving no party motion. Morris recommended sua sponte dismissal of plaintiff's five federal-criminal-statute claims with prejudice (no private cause of action under 18 U.S.C. 241/246/249/607/1512) and his Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claim without prejudice (failure to plead exhaustion, leaving no subject-matter jurisdiction). District Judge Thomas L. Ludington adopted the recommendation (August 10, 2022) over objections, and denied a motion to stay. The adoption order states: “Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris, who recommended that this Court sua sponte dismiss Plaintiff’s criminal claims with prejudice and sua sponte dismiss Plaintiff’s Sarbanes-Oxley Act claim without prejudice... Judge Morris’s R&R... is ADOPTED.” The dismissal was mixed: with prejudice for the criminal claims, without prejudice for the Sarbanes-Oxley claim.

Zlatkin v. Township of Butman
· 2024-05-07
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“IT IS RECOMMENDED that Defendant Kreisher’s Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 43) be GRANTED”

Summary judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“Plaintiff Sharon’s “CounterMotion” for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 49) be DENIED WITH PREJUDICE.”

Cage v. Beard
· 2024-09-11
Summary judgment (defendant) Denied

“IT IS RECOMMENDED that defendants’ motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 56) be DENIED.”

Richardson v. Falk
· 2024-09-10
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted in part

“defendant Nathan Falk’s motion to dismiss (ECF No. 32) be GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART.”

Ewing v. Wayne County Sheriff
· 2024-07-29
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted

“I RECOMMEND that the Court grant the motion (ECF No. 189) and DISMISS this case WITHOUT PREJUDICE for Plaintiff’s failure to prosecute”

Nevills v. Okpa
· 2025-06-10
Motions to compel (plaintiff) Denied

“For these reasons, Nevills’ motion to compel (ECF No. 37) is DENIED.”

Barnes v. Obiakor
· 2025-11-10
Motions to compel (defendant) Moot / procedural

“Obiakor’s motion to compel discovery responses (ECF No. 21) are hereby deemed RESOLVED.”

Vink v. Natole
· 2023-04-20

Sua sponte R&R recommending dismissal of the pro se prisoner complaint with prejudice for failure to prosecute under Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b) after plaintiff failed to serve process; no motion adjudicated. Grounding quote: “IT IS RECOMMENDED that this case be DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE for Plaintiff’s failure to prosecute under Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b) and Eastern District of Michigan Local Rule 41.2.”

Thompson v. 54th Circuit Court
· 2024-09-18

Screening R&R recommending sua sponte dismissal of an IFP complaint under 28 U.S.C. 1915(e)(2) as frivolous, the claims resting on rejected sovereign-citizen theories. Grounding quote: “IT IS RECOMMENDED that the Court DISMISS Thompson’s complaint, sua sponte, under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2).”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

The reviewed matters combine Social Security referrals, criminal-duty proceedings, and pro se screening cases. This is a descriptive sample, not a complete caseload count.

Put Judge Morris's record to work

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

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