Jack Dale Shanstrom
Judge Shanstrom no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Shanstrom decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Shanstrom treated a medically verifiable brain injury as bodily injury even though purely psychic harm remained outside the Warsaw Convention.
“Fright alone is not compensable, but brain injury from fright is.”
Procedural preferences
He declined to decide tribal regulatory authority before operative rules existed, treating the dispute as dependent on contingent future events.
“Federal courts normally ought not resolve issues involving contingent future events that may not occur as anticipated or that may not occur at all.”
Cautions
He required a concrete and immediate injury before federal intervention in ongoing state proceedings.
“no rule of equity should be applied in blind disregard of fact.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“IT IS ORDERED that plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment is granted.”
“IT IS ORDERED that defendant Clinics’ motions to dismiss the above-entitled action on equitable abstention grounds is granted. Such dismissal is without prejudice.”
“Plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment as to standing is granted.”
“Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment declaring defendants in violation of the CWA is granted.”
“Defendants CBM and CBR’s motion to strike supplemental material is deemed moot.”
“Defendants NMC and NI’s motion for summary judgment is denied.”
“Defendants CBM, CBR, NMC, and NI’s motion for summary judgment declaring that they are not in violation of the CWA is denied.”
“IT IS ORDERED that plaintiffs motion for summary judgment is hereby denied.”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED defendant’s motion to dismiss is hereby granted.”
“IT IS ORDERED that CFC’s motion for summary judgment is hereby granted.”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that defendants’ motion to dismiss is hereby granted as to all defendants in this matter.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Motion of the Tribe to file its Supplemental Memorandum is granted.”
After a Federal Tort Claims Act bench trial, Shanstrom entered judgment for the United States: “IT IS ORDERED that judgment shall be entered in favor of the defendant in this case.” Because the decision did not resolve a party motion, it is excluded from motion statistics.
“The Order and Judgment of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana in this matter, dated December 4, 1998, are affirmed;”
“The Motion of the Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Trust for Sanctions [Doc. No. 25] is granted”
“The motion of Delta Airlines, Inc. (Delta) for summary judgment [Doc. No. 12] is denied.”
“The motion of Kathy Weaver for partial summary judgment [Doc. No. 17] is granted, to the extent that Delta is liable and leaving for determination the amount of damages.”
“Defendants’ motion for summary judgment [Doc. No. 41] is granted;”
“Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment [Doc. No. 39] is denied;”
“Defendant-Intervenor’s motion for summary judgment [Doc. No. 43] is mooted by the above rulings;”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiffs’ cross-motion for summary judgment (Doc. No. 12) is GRANTED.”
“Defendant Arneson’s cross-motion for summary judgment (Doc. No. 27) is DENIED.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the instant appeal is dismissed and the judgment of the Bankruptcy Court is affirmed.”
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the parties' cross motions are granted in part and denied in part as set forth above.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The 13 located assigned civil cases were all terminated and form a narrow 2001 cohort rather than a career-wide caseload measure.
A historical record
Judge Shanstrom no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.