Phillip J. Green

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan 22 signed orders read

How Judge Green decides

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

Procedural preferences

In summary-judgment R&Rs where the prisoner-plaintiff fails to respond to the motion, he treats the lack of response as an independent, alternative ground for granting the motion (forfeiture/waiver), in addition to reaching the merits.

“Because Plaintiff has failed to respond to Defendants' motion, the undersigned recommends, in the alternative, that Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment be granted on the ground that Plaintiff has simply waived opposition thereto.”

He discourages, and will recommend denial of, post-screening motions to dismiss or for judgment on the pleadings that simply re-argue a claim the court already found adequately pled at initial screening, absent a new legal argument.

“Defendant's motion merely expresses her disagreement with the Court's screening analysis without articulating any error the correction of which would result in a different outcome. To re-visit screening decisions in this manner constitutes a waste of this Court's limited time and resources.”

Signed rulings

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

Carter v. Bauchin
1:23-cv-450 · 2024-10-07
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the undersigned recommends that Defendant's motion be granted and Plaintiff's remaining claim against Defendant Hadden be dismissed without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.”

Williams v. Cline
1:22-cv-1129 · 2025-06-09
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the undersigned recommends that Defendants' motion for summary judgment be granted and this action terminated.”

Powell v. Page
1:22-cv-201 · 2023-06-06
Judgment on the pleadings (defendant) Denied

“the undersigned recommends that Defendant's Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings (ECF No. 57) be denied.”

Carouthers v. Kalamazoo County Jail
1:21-cv-758 · 2022-10-26
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted in part

“Magistrate Judge Phillip J. Green issued a Report and Recommendation (R&R) recommending that Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 29) be granted in part and denied in part.”

Smith v. Clark
1:23-cv-575 · 2026-05-12
Motions to dismiss (court) Granted

“Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B), the undersigned recommends that Defendant Clark be dismissed and that this action be terminated.”

Love v. Rydahal
1:24-cv-608 · 2025-06-13
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the undersigned recommends that Defendants' motions for summary judgment (ECF No. 15, 23) be granted and Plaintiff's claims against be dismissed without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.”

LaPine v. Lincoln
1:19-cv-120 · 2023-03-27
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the undersigned recommends that Defendant's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (ECF No. 71) be granted and Counts 1 and 6 be dismissed without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.”

Hawthorne v. Michigan Department of Corrections
1:25-cv-416 · 2026-01-07
Preliminary injunction (plaintiff) Denied

“the undersigned recommends that Plaintiff's Motion for Order Directing Michigan Department of Corrections to Provide Photocopy Loan (ECF No. 43) be denied.”

Resch v. Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties
1:21-cv-914 · 2023-08-15
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted

“the undersigned recommends that Defendant's motion to dismiss be granted and Plaintiff's remaining claims against Defendant Campfield be dismissed with prejudice.”

Little v. Eerdmans
1:22-cv-697 · 2023-05-23
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the undersigned recommends that Defendant's motion for summary judgment be granted.”

Rice v. Bryce
1:22-cv-462 · 2024-04-01
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“the undersigned recommends that Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment, (ECF No. 42), be granted.”

Lee v. Trierweiler
1:18-cv-735 · 2019-05-29
Habeas petition (plaintiff) Denied

“Petitioner's habeas petition (ECF No. 1) is DENIED.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

His directly-assigned 2019 docket (consent civil cases and Social Security appeals) includes Fair Labor Standards Act wage suits, Social Security disability appeals, a products-liability removal case, a trade-secrets case, and at least one felony criminal case in which he took a Rule 11 guilty plea.

Put Judge Green's record to work

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

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