Jerry H. Ritter, Jr.
How Judge Jr. decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
Manages pro se dockets actively: where a pro se plaintiff stops prosecuting surviving claims, issues an order to show cause and then recommends Rule 41(b) dismissal WITH PREJUDICE.
“Judge Ritter ... recommends that the Court dismiss this case, because it appears that Plaintiff Leland T. Taylor either is unwilling or unable to prosecute his surviving claims.”
On collateral attacks (2254/2255), reaches the merits or the procedural defect and recommends dismissal with prejudice, with the district judge denying a certificate of appealability where reasonable jurists would not differ.
“Judge Ritter recommends that the Court dismiss Petitioner Eric Gutierrez's amended habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. 2254 with prejudice.”
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.
| Summary judgment N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
| Involuntary dismissal N = 1 |
Granted: 1 | counts only |
| Habeas petition N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
| Motions to strike N = 1 |
Granted: 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.
“The Honorable Jerry H. Ritter, United States Magistrate Judge ... recommends that the Court deny Defendant Michelle Lujan Grisham's Motion for Summary Judgment No. I: Dismissal Based on Lack Of Personal Participation ... IT IS ORDERED that Defendant Michelle Lujan Grisham's Motion for Summary Judgment No. I ... is denied.”
“Judge Ritter ... recommends that the Court dismiss this case, because it appears that Plaintiff Leland T. Taylor either is unwilling or unable to prosecute his surviving claims. ... this case is dismissed with prejudice, because it appears that Plaintiff Leland T. Taylor is either unwilling or unable to prosecute his surviving claims”
“After analyzing the double jeopardy and the right to effective assistance of counsel claims, Judge Ritter recommends that the Court dismiss Petitioner Eric Gutierrez's amended habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. 2254 with prejudice. ... the Court ... DISMISSES with prejudice Gutierrez's amended 2254 petition ... [and] DENIES issuing a certificate of appealability”
“the Proposed Findings and Recommended Disposition in Favor of Granting the Motion to Strike ... In the PFRD, the Honorable Jerry H. Ritter ... recommends that the Court grant the Motion and Strike. ... the United States' Motion to Strike Defendant's Amended Motion to Vacate Under 28 U.S.C. 2255 ... is granted; ... [the] Amended Motion to Vacate ... is stricken”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 444.5 days (N = 10).
Judge of record by consent on a steady stream of Social Security disability appeals (DIWC/DIWW Tit. II; SSID Tit. XVI; 42:405(g)) -- the docket spine; referral magistrate on pro se habeas (2254/2255) and civil-rights dockets (the reasoning layer). NOT a grant rate -- role/composition only.