Jacqueline M. DeLuca
How Judge DeLuca decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
On a vehicle-stop suppression motion, DeLuca will deny suppression where the officer had probable cause OR reasonable suspicion of a traffic infraction; under Eighth Circuit law a mistaken-but-objectively-reasonable belief that a violation occurred still validates the stop. Challenging the stop itself (rather than what followed) is a weak posture where the officer articulates a specific observed driving violation.
“even if Paris was not actually committing a traffic infraction, the stop was not a Fourth Amendment violation because the officer could have reasonably believed Paris was committing a traffic infraction.”
On a Sixth Amendment speedy-trial dismissal motion, DeLuca weighs the Barker factors and will deny where the defendant is himself the primary cause of the delay -- e.g., moving on the eve of trial to reopen long-expired pretrial-motion deadlines. Anxiety over delay, without prejudice to the defense, is 'the weakest interest served.'
“the weight of this argument is greatly reduced by the fact this case was ready to go to trial in October. It did not because Hinrichs moved on the eve of trial to continue and reopen the long-expired pretrial motions deadline.”
Procedural preferences
DeLuca runs a structured pre-suppression-hearing process: after a motion to suppress is filed she sets a government-response deadline, a meet-and-confer to narrow issues and stipulate facts, an exhibit/witness-list exchange delivered to chambers, and a prehearing telephone status conference before scheduling the evidentiary hearing. Counsel should expect to exchange exhibits and confer before any hearing.
“the parties shall meet and confer to resolve any issues not requiring an evidentiary hearing, agree upon any factual stipulations to be presented to the court, and discuss proposed exhibits and witnesses.”
Motion outcomes
Counted from classified signed orders only. Percentages are shown only where the sample is large enough to be meaningful; smaller samples are reported as raw counts.
| Motion to suppress N = 2 |
Denied: 2 | counts only |
| Motions to dismiss N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
A "1 of 1" is one ruling, not a tendency. Treat small samples as illustrative, not predictive.
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“IT HEREBY IS RECOMMENDED to the Honorable Susan M. Bazis, United States District Judge, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b), that the motion to suppress, Filing No. 46, be denied.”
“IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED to the Honorable Susan M. Bazis, United States District Judge, that Hinrichs' motions to suppress, Filing Nos. 87, 107, and 110 and pro se motion to dismiss, Filing No. 113, be denied.”
“IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED to the Honorable Susan M. Bazis, United States District Judge, that Hinrichs' motions to suppress, Filing Nos. 87, 107, and 110 and pro se motion to dismiss, Filing No. 113, be denied. The portion of Hinrichs' pro se motion to dismiss pertaining to ineffective assistance of counsel should be denied without prejudice to Hinrichs' ability to later challenge the effectiveness of his trial counsel.”
Omnibus 32-page Findings/Recommendation/Order disposing of 66 pretrial motions filed by a pro se drug-distribution defendant; the bulk are recommended denied or denied (many sovereign-citizen theories recommended denied as frivolous, several denied as moot/duplicative). Recorded as an order read but NOT individually classified into motion stats this pass, given the volume and the pro se/sovereign-citizen character; a deepening pass could itemize it. excluded_from_stats.
DeLuca's own signed procedural order granting the defendant's UNOPPOSED Motion to Extend (Filing 77) and setting a suppression briefing/meet-and-confer/exhibit schedule with a prehearing status conference. Administrative; rules on no contested merits motion. Counts as an order read, not toward motion stats.
DeLuca's own signed scheduling order on the defendant's Motion to Suppress and Request for Hearing (Filing 29): sets a government response deadline, meet-and-confer, exhibit exchange, and a prehearing status conference. No merits ruling. Counts as an order read, not toward motion stats.
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Not systematically enumerated; judge appointed 2024. Observed: referral magistrate on numerous criminal dockets assigned to District Judge Bazis (the -SMB-JMD suffix), at least one consent civil docket (Bauer v. Generac Power Systems, product liability, pending), and routine magistrate-duty mj matters (initial appearances, complaints). Few terminated dockets yet given her short tenure.