John F. Robbenhaar
How Judge Robbenhaar decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
In pro se civil-rights / sec.1983 cases, holds plaintiffs to the substantive pleading standards and recommends Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal WITH PREJUDICE where the defect is incurable -- e.g. no Monell custom-or-policy allegation against a corporate/municipal entity, or claims barred by the statute of limitations -- and will recommend denying leave to amend as futile after repeated failures to cure.
“Judge Robbenhaar recommended that the Court grant the Motion, deny Plaintiff leave to amend his Operative Complaint, and dismiss Plaintiff's claim against SWCMG with prejudice.”
Expects all litigants, including pro se litigants, to comply with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the District's Local Rules; repeated non-compliance weighs against allowing further amendment.
“Judge Robbenhaar also lamented Plaintiff's routine failures to follow the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and this District's Local Rules.”
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.
| Motions to dismiss N = 2 |
Granted: 2 | counts only |
| Motion to consolidate 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 John F. Robbenhaar, United States Magistrate Judge, recommended that the Court grant the Motion to Dismiss and dismiss with prejudice the Complaint. ... the Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's 'Civil Rights Complaint Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983' and for Qualified Immunity ... is granted; ... the Civil Rights Complaint ... is dismissed with prejudice.”
“Judge Robbenhaar recommended that the Court grant the Motion, deny Plaintiff leave to amend his Operative Complaint, and dismiss Plaintiff's claim against SWCMG with prejudice. ... the Court OVERRULES Plaintiff's objections; ADOPTS the PFRD; GRANTS SWCMG's Motion; and DISMISSES Plaintiff's claim against it WITH PREJUDICE.”
“The PFRD recommends that the Court grant the Defendants' Motion to Consolidate ... (ii) Defendants' Motion to Consolidate, filed May 1, 2024 (Doc. 30), is granted; (iii) that this matter is consolidated with Martinez Jr. v. Sandoval, et al., No. CIV 24-0346 KG/JMR”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 376.5 days (N = 10).
Judge of record by consent on a steady stream of Social Security disability appeals (DIWC/DIWW, SSID Tit. XVI; 42:405(g)); referral magistrate on civil-rights sec.1983 and prisoner-conditions dockets (the reasoning layer); and the referred magistrate on the 2026 civil-rights surge (e.g. McMurry v. Bloomfield Mun. School Bd., referred 2026). NOT a grant rate -- role/composition only.