Jerry H. Ritter, Jr.
How Judge Ritter rules, drawn from 25 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Ritter
Jerry H. Ritter Jr. has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Mexico since September 5, 2017. Before joining the federal bench, he was a district judge for New Mexico's Twelfth Judicial District, serving Otero and Lincoln counties. He also served on the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission.
Judge Ritter's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Ritter, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Discovery
Before requesting Ritter’s telephone conference on a narrow discovery dispute, counsel must discuss it by phone or in person.
“Counsel first shall attempt to resolve the dispute themselves, by discussing the matter either by telephone or in person. An e-mail or letter exchange is not sufficient.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026).
How Judge Ritter decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In a post-removal-order habeas case, Judge Ritter recommended release because the government’s unsuccessful removal efforts did not show that Mexico would accept this petitioner in the reasonably foreseeable future.
“Respondents do not provide evidence that Mexico is likely to accept Petitioner.”
Procedural preferences
When a pro se plaintiff stopped prosecuting surviving claims, Judge Ritter issued an order to show cause and then recommended dismissal with prejudice under Rule 41(b).
“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.”
In one state-prisoner habeas matter, Judge Ritter addressed the double-jeopardy and ineffective-assistance claims and recommended dismissal with prejudice; the district judge adopted the recommendation and denied a certificate of appealability.
“Judge Ritter recommends that the Court dismiss Petitioner Eric Gutierrez's amended habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. 2254 with prejudice.”
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”
“The Court GRANTS Plaintiff's motion to remand and REMANDS the matter for further proceedings.”
“Defendants' Partial Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' First Amended Complaint [Doc. 13] is GRANTED”
“shall be and hereby are dismissed with prejudice with each party to bear their own costs and attorneys' fees.”
“I recommend the Court GRANT National Indemnity's Motion for Default and Summary Judgment [Doc. 14], ENTER default judgment and summary judgment in favor of National Indemnity”
“Associated Material's Motion to Transfer Venue [Doc. 22] is hereby DENIED.”
“Associated Materials' Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim [Doc. 21] is DENIED.”
“Duron's Opposed Motion to Extend Deadlines [Doc. 35] is hereby DENIED.”
“Montoya's motion to extend the scheduling order's deadlines is DENIED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 444.5 days (N = 10).
By party consent, Judge Ritter enters final decisions in a steady stream of Social Security disability appeals under Titles II and XVI. He also writes recommendations in pro se habeas and civil-rights cases. This describes the composition of his work, not a grant rate.
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 | 5 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 2 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 5 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 3 | 1 |
| Sep 2022 | 6 | 1 |
| Mar 2022 | 6 | 2 |
| Sep 2021 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2021 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 0 |
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.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, not for Judge Ritter: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
| Cases | Median time | |
|---|---|---|
| All civil cases closed | 908 | 8.2 months |
| Closed with no court action | 150 | 4.1 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 511 | 7 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 242 | 13.8 months |
| Closed during trial | 5 | not reported |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 908 | 8.2 months |
| Sep 2024 | 918 | 8 months |
| Sep 2023 | 835 | 10.6 months |
| Sep 2022 | 973 | 11.7 months |
| Sep 2021 | 909 | 9.6 months |
| Sep 2020 | 957 | 9 months |
| Sep 2019 | 965 | 9.6 months |
The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).
Draft for Judge Ritter with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Ritter, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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