Abbie S. Crites-Leoni
How Judge Crites-Leoni rules, drawn from 17 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Crites-Leoni
Abbie S. Crites-Leoni has served as a United States magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Missouri since March 2014. She serves in the court’s Southeastern Division in Cape Girardeau. Before joining the bench, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Judge Crites-Leoni's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Crites-Leoni, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Discovery
Confer with opposing counsel before filing a discovery motion and certify that effort in the motion.
“Before filing any discovery-related motion, you must confer with opposing counsel and attempt to resolve the dispute, and in accordance with the relevant local rule, your motion must contain a certification that you have done so.”
Discovery
Confer about discovery disputes by speaking with opposing counsel in person or by phone.
“The requirement that the parties confer means that the moving party must actually speak to opposing counsel, in person or by telephone.”
Conferences
File the proposed joint scheduling plan at least one week before the Rule 16 conference unless ordered otherwise.
“Unless otherwise ordered, the JSP is to be filed with the court no later than one week prior to the scheduled Rule 16 conference.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026).
How Judge Crites-Leoni decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In United States v. Lowe, Crites-Leoni recommended denying suppression because Lowe lacked a reasonable expectation of privacy in the searched space: an open room in a condemned building used by others, without the owner's permission.
“Lowe's regard for the once church sanctuary as his home does not make his claimed expectation of privacy in the place reasonable. ... Defendant's belief that he had an expectation of privacy in an open room in a condemned building, frequented by many others, without permission of the owner is not one that society is prepared to recognize as reasonable.”
In Whitfield’s motion to reconsider detention after a guilty plea, Crites-Leoni recommended denying release because his Crohn’s disease and generalized COVID-19 risk did not establish exceptional reasons under § 3145(c).
“Even so, an individual prisoner’s medical condition that potentially makes the person more susceptible to succumbing to the virus if it is contracted is not an exceptional circumstance that requires release while they await sentencing.”
Procedural preferences
In United States v. Drake, the district judge overruled the defendant's objections after de novo review and adopted Crites-Leoni's findings and recommendation to deny suppression. The judge expressly credited her factual findings and legal conclusions in that case.
“Following de novo review of the record, the undersigned concludes that Judge Crites-Leoni made proper factual findings and conclusions of law. After careful consideration, the Court overrules Defendant's objections, and adopts and sustains the thorough reasoning of Judge Crites-Leoni set forth in support of the recommended ruling.”
In United States v. Drake, Crites-Leoni held an evidentiary hearing on the suppression motion. Two officers testified and were cross-examined, and one officer's body-camera footage was admitted before she made her recommendation.
“An evidentiary hearing was held on the motion to suppress on January 30, 2024, at which Kennett Police Department officers Brandon Perkins and David Bailey testified and were subject to cross examination ... Officer Perkins's body camera footage was admitted as evidence.”
Cautions
In United States v. Whitfield, she advised the parties of a fourteen-day window to object to her report and the possible waiver of factual issues on appeal if they did not object.
“the parties are advised that they have fourteen days ... in which to file written objections to this Report and Recommendation ... Failure to file timely objections may result in a waiver of the right to appeal questions of fact.”
In one employment-discrimination case, she rejected a pretext argument where the worker’s subjective belief was unsupported by evidence permitting a rational factfinder to infer intentional discrimination.
“Watkins’ belief that Strauch’s actions were discriminatory is insufficient to avoid summary judgment.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that Defendant Jaquan Whitfield’s request for release from custody pending sentencing (Doc. 30) be denied.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Report and Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge Abbie Crites-Leoni, Doc. [70], recommending the denial of the Motion to Dismiss Indictment, Doc. [36], is SUSTAINED, ADOPTED, AND INCORPORATED.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Report and Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge Abbie Crites-Leoni, Doc. [71], recommending the denial of the Motion to Suppress Physical Evidence and Statements, Doc. [37], is SUSTAINED, ADOPTED, AND INCORPORATED.”
“After an evidentiary hearing and briefing, Magistrate Judge Abbie Crites-Leoni I issued a Report and Recommendation recommending the motions be denied (Doc. 75). ... IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that defendant's Motion to Suppress Statements (Doc. 51) ... [is] DENIED.”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that defendant's Motion to Suppress Statements (Doc. 51) and Motion to Suppress Evidence (Doc. 52) are DENIED.”
“Judge Crites-Leoni issued a Report and Recommendation on July 9, 2024, recommending the motion be denied (Doc. 39). ... IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant's Motion to Suppress Evidence (Doc. 23) is DENIED.”
“Judge Crites-Leoni filed her recommendation that Taylor=s habeas petition should be dismissed. ... IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Petitioner Demetrius Taylor=s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, [ECF 1], is DENIED.”
“Judge Crites-Leoni filed her recommendation that Thornton=s habeas petition should be dismissed. ... IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Petitioner Alexander Thornton=s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, #1, is DENIED.”
“For the following reasons, the decision of the Commissioner will be affirmed.”
“For the following reasons, the decision of the Commissioner will be affirmed.”
“For the following reasons, the decision of the Commissioner will be reversed and remanded.”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the decision of the Commissioner is reversed and this cause is remanded to the Commissioner for further proceedings pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g)”
“the instant Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. §2254 is denied and dismissed with prejudice by separate judgment entered this date.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 14) is granted in part and denied in part.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
- Qualitative, not a census. As a magistrate judge she handles all referred pretrial matters in Southeastern-Division criminal cases (detention, suppression, Reports and Recommendations) and directly-assigned or consent civil cases.
- Her recent directly-assigned civil docket is dominated by Social Security disability appeals plus a mix of intellectual-property and prisoner civil-rights suits, all currently pending.
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 2 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2021 | 4 | 0 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 0 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (Southeastern Division, Cape Girardeau), not for Judge Crites-Leoni: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
| Cases | Median time | |
|---|---|---|
| All civil cases closed | 1,561 | 6 months |
| Closed with no court action | 502 | 4.3 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 1,031 | 7 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 16 | 15.3 months |
| Closed during trial | 12 | 31.2 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 1,561 | 6 months |
| Sep 2024 | 1,525 | 6.6 months |
| Sep 2023 | 1,323 | 7 months |
| Sep 2022 | 1,466 | 10.6 months |
| Sep 2021 | 1,424 | 8.8 months |
| Sep 2020 | 1,950 | 5.5 months |
| Sep 2019 | 2,913 | 2.2 months |
The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).
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