Karen Ballard Molzen
How Judge Molzen decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
Liberally construes pro se pleadings but will not construct arguments or search the record for the litigant; on the IFP/screening referral docket she recommends dismissal WITHOUT prejudice where the threshold defect is jurisdictional or curable (no subject-matter jurisdiction, no state actor, failure to serve), and denies IFP where the Adkins poverty showing is not met.
“Maloy has failed to show that he cannot, because of poverty, provide himself with the necessities of life and pay the filing fee. ... his sparse allegations do not invoke the subject-matter jurisdiction of the court ... and border on being delusional.”
Uses the Order to Show Cause and Rule 4(m) to clear stalled pro se cases: where a plaintiff ignores an OSC on defective service, recommends sua sponte dismissal without prejudice rather than ruling the merits of a pending motion.
“the Chief Magistrate Judge entered an Order to Show Cause ... Cowgill did not respond, and ... Chief Magistrate Judge Molzen sua sponte proposed that the Court dismiss the case without prejudice”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Magistrate Judge Karen B. Molzen filed her PF&RD on March 9, 2018, in which she recommended that the Order Dismissing Bankruptcy Case be affirmed and this bankruptcy appeal dismissed. ... the bankruptcy appeal is DISMISSED with prejudice”
“the Honorable Karen B. Molzen, Chief United States Magistrate Judge, recommends that the Court deny the pro-se Plaintiff's Application to Proceed ... without Prepaying Fees or Costs ... and dismiss without prejudice his Civil Rights Complaint Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983 ... the Plaintiff's Civil Rights Complaint ... is dismissed without prejudice.”
“Chief Magistrate Judge Molzen sua sponte proposed that the Court dismiss the case without prejudice because of Cowgill's apparent lack of interest in properly litigating this matter. ... this case is dismissed without prejudice”
“the Honorable Karen B. Molzen ... recommended that the Court deny the relief requested in the Defendant's Letter[s] to the Honorable James O. Browning ... without prejudice, and open a new civil case pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983 ... the relief requested ... is denied without prejudice; and ... the Clerk of the Court is directed to open a new civil case pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983”
“Magistrate Judge Molzen issued her PFRD on June 7, 2018 in which she recommends granting the Motion in part and denying it in part. ... IT IS ORDERED that: (i) Magistrate Judge Molzen's Proposed Findings and Recommended Disposition on Petitioner's Motion to Substitute the Current Governor as the Successive Officer in the Above-Captioned Case, filed June 7, 2018 (Doc. 34), is adopted; (ii) Thomas Moquino, Jr., in his official capacity as Governor of the Kewa Pueblo, is substituted as a Respondent in place of Robert B. Coriz, in his official capacity as Governor of the Kewa Pueblo; (iii) Robert B. Coriz remains a Respondent in his official capacity as Tribal Court Judge; and (iv) Respondent Kewa Pueblo is dismissed.”
“this Court hereby reverses the Commissioner's decision and remands this matter to the Commissioner.”
“this Court hereby reverses the Commissioner's decision and remands this matter to the Commissioner.”
“it is ORDERED that ¶ 8(G) of Plaintiff's Complaint be dismissed with prejudice pursuant to F.R.C.P. 12(b)(1).”
“this Court hereby REVERSES the Commissioner's decision under sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) with a REMAND to the Commissioner for further administrative proceedings.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 347 days (N = 10).
Median motion-to-ruling time: 252.5 days (N = 2).
Judge Molzen's work includes substantial Albuquerque criminal and immigration duty, final decisions by consent in Social Security disability appeals, and recommendations in bankruptcy appeals, prisoner and other pro se cases, and immigration habeas matters. This describes the composition of her work, not a grant rate.
Put Judge Molzen's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Molzen actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Molzen's own signed orders and cites them.