Timothy J. Cavan
How Judge Cavan decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Cavan treats absolute judicial immunity as dispositive once the challenged conduct is judicial in nature, and does not require the plaintiff to show the state judge acted correctly -- only that she was not acting in the clear absence of all subject-matter jurisdiction.
“[E]ven assuming Judge Gilbert's assumption of jurisdiction was 'in excess of [her] jurisdiction,' the act was not done 'in the clear absence of jurisdiction.'”
Procedural preferences
Cavan gives a pro se plaintiff one chance to cure a deficient complaint with a clear warning of the consequence, but recommends dismissal without further leniency once that deadline passes unused.
“Plaintiffs were specifically advised that, if they failed to respond to the order, the Court would recommend dismissal of the case.”
Cautions
Where dismissal would be futile to cure (e.g., suing an absolutely immune defendant), Cavan recommends dismissal without leave to amend rather than prolonging the case through repeated repleading.
“Where amendment would be futile, there is no reason to prolong litigation by allowing further amendments.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Judge Gilbert's Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 7) be GRANTED, and the Complaint be dismissed with prejudice”
“This action should be DISMISSED as Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim on which relief may be granted.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 519 days (N = 3).
Cavan's enumerated docket includes a large, sustained run of consent-track Social Security disability appeals spanning 2014 to the present, alongside diversity insurance and personal-injury suits and civil-rights cases. Seventeen Social Security appeals sampled across multiple filing-year cohorts were fully briefed and decided by Cavan himself under 636(c) consent, not referred to a district judge; most reverse-and-remand under sentence four of 42 U.S.C. 405(g), with a minority affirming the Commissioner's denial of benefits.
Put Judge Cavan's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Cavan actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Cavan's own signed orders and cites them.