Michael A. Hammer
How Judge Hammer rules, drawn from 33 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Hammer no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Hammer
Michael A. Hammer served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Newark Vicinage of the District of New Jersey from 2011 until his retirement in 2026. Before joining the bench, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney.
How Judge Hammer decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Custin v. Wirths, Hammer compelled a state labor agency to produce a hearing notice relevant to the plaintiff's due process claim, finding that the cited confidentiality statute did not cover the notice.
“because the statute clearly only protects ‘information obtained from employers and employees,’ a hearing notice is not considered confidential.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Plaintiff's motion to compel compliance with his subpoenas [D.E. 146] is DENIED IN PART AND GRANTED IN PART.”
“ORDERED that the Report and Recommendation (ECF No. 66) is hereby adopted in its entirety ... ORDERED that Plaintiff's Complaints in these cases are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
“the Report and Recommendation (DE 22) of Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer that the case be dismissed without prejudice, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b) ... ORDERED that the Report and Recommendation is affirmed and adopted ... ORDERED that this action is DISMISSED with prejudice.”
“On February 25, 2020, the Honorable Michael A. Hammer, United States Magistrate Judge, issued a Report and Recommendation, recommending that the Court grant Plaintiff's motion.”
“The Court cannot say with certitude that Plaintiff's claims against Liberty Travel will fail. Therefore, it is improper to find that Liberty Mutual was fraudulently joined. As such, complete diversity is lacking and the Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over this matter.”
“Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer's Report and Recommendation ('R&R') concluded that the motion to remand should be granted because complete diversity is lacking, and this Court therefore lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the case.”
“This record does not meet most of the Tabron factors, and, therefore, the Court finds that appointment of pro bono counsel is inappropriate at this time. ... Plaintiff's motion for the appointment of pro bono counsel [D.E. 53] is denied without prejudice.”
“For the foregoing reasons, Defendants' motion for an order compelling Relator to amend her pleadings is denied.”
“For the foregoing reasons, the Court agrees with Magistrate Judge Hammer that this action should be transferred to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a).”
“For the reasons set forth above, this Court respectfully recommends that the District Court grant Plaintiff's motion to remand, and remand this matter to the Superior Court, Law Division, Middlesex County.”
“For the reasons stated herein, PCS's Motion for Leave to File a Third-Party Complaint is granted.”
“plaintiff's motion for leave to file a Second Amended Complaint is granted in part and denied in part, plaintiff's motion to compel various discovery responses is granted in part, and defendants' cross-motion for a protective order is denied without prejudice.”
“plaintiff's motion to compel various discovery responses is granted in part”
“defendants' cross-motion for a protective order is denied without prejudice.”
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 | 1 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 5 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 5 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 5 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 4 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 4 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 5 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 7 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 7 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 7 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 4 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 4 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 5 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 3 |
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.
A historical record
Judge Hammer no longer sits on this court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.