Ramon E. Reyes, Jr.
How Judge Reyes decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Follows binding Second Circuit precedent even where the policy question is sympathetic and the historical record is 'troubling' -- he denied a 1326 equal-protection challenge as foreclosed rather than engaging the merits, expressly noting district courts are bound to follow controlling Circuit precedent unless it is overruled.
“Bound by Suquilanda, the Court denies Defendant's motion to dismiss. ... '[D]istrict courts are bound to follow controlling Second Circuit precedent unless that precedent is overruled or reversed.'”
On default judgments he is exacting about E.D.N.Y. Local Civil Rule 55.2(c) service formalities: a movant who fails to mail the motion to the defaulting party's last known residence/business address, or who cannot prove every paper was mailed, can have the motion denied in full on that ground alone -- even on a second attempt.
“Local Rule 55.2(c) is construed strictly, and lack of compliance alone frequently results in denial of the default judgment motion. ... I respectfully recommend that the Motion be denied in its entirety.”
He enforces the substance of immigration bond-hearing orders, not just formal compliance. When the immigration judge did not meaningfully address alternatives to detention, he granted enforcement and ordered the petitioner's immediate unconditional release.
“the mere lack of consideration of alternatives to detention merits a grant of Ramos Espinoza’s motion to enforce the March 6 Order.”
At summary judgment, specific testimony reinforced by circumstantial inconsistencies can preserve a civil-rights conspiracy claim even when the showing is close. A movant must eliminate factual disputes about motive, reporting, and possible cover-up rather than dismissing the opponent's account as testimonial only.
“those claims are specific and non-conclusory enough—even if barely so— to create a genuine dispute of material fact”
Procedural preferences
Will recommend the harshest Rule 37 sanction (strike answer + default) for willful, sustained discovery noncompliance after clear warning, and does not require exhausting lesser sanctions first when the record shows they would not induce compliance.
“the Court concludes that no lesser sanction would induce Abdullaev's compliance and that a severe sanction is necessary to serve the deterrence rationale justifying sanctions.”
Guards subject-matter jurisdiction: he denied a plaintiff's Rule 41(a)(2) voluntary dismissal where granting it would have stripped the court of jurisdiction over the defendant's surviving state-law counterclaims, applying the rule's purpose of protecting the defendant.
“Because dismissal of the Wentworths' claim would destroy the Court's subject matter jurisdiction over Hedson's counterclaims, the Court is precluded from dismissing the Wentworths' claim under Rule 41(a)(2).”
Before trial he resolves evidentiary motions item by item. He distinguishes first-hand treatment and party-admission testimony from vague other-act evidence, requires authentication for medical records, and limits experts to opinions disclosed in their reports.
“Dr. Smith-Harris’ testimony will be limited to Checo’s diagnosis and treatment, and any admissions about the alleged sexual assault that he personally made to Dr. Smith-Harris.”
Cautions
On objections to a magistrate R&R, do not raise arguments you could have made to the magistrate but did not -- district judges in this district reviewing his R&Rs refuse to consider new arguments and review unobjected/conclusory portions only for clear error.
“courts ordinarily refuse to consider arguments, case law and/or evidentiary material which could have been, but was not, presented to the magistrate judge in the first instance.”
Adverse rulings and perceived delay do not establish judicial bias. A recusal motion should identify a concrete extrajudicial source or facts that would cause a fully informed, disinterested observer to doubt impartiality.
“Because plaintiff fails to demonstrate an extrajudicial basis for recusal, and no objective, disinterested observer would conclude that the Court’s impartiality could reasonably be questioned, Dejoie’s motion for recusal is denied.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“For the foregoing reasons, the Wentworths' motion for voluntary dismissal is denied. SO ORDERED.”
“For the reasons discussed herein, the motion is denied.”
“On August 12, 2014, Judge Reyes issued his R&R, recommending that Defendants' motion be granted. ... Plaintiff's objections are OVERRULED and the R&R is ADOPTED IN FULL.”
“the Court grants Defendants' motion for summary judgment and denies Plaintiff's cross motion for summary judgment”
“the court ADOPTS the R&R as modified, and GRANTS Plaintiffs motion for default judgment.”
“Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. issued a Report and Recommendation (‘R&R’), recommending ‘that Ryeco's motion for default judgment be granted ...’ ... Accordingly, the Court ADOPTS the R&R”
“On August 20, 2021, Magistrate Judge Reyes recommended (1) denying default judgment on all of Hitrinov's and Empire's breach of contract claims and dismissing those claims; and (2) granting Hitrinov's and Empire's libel claim and awarding them $2,436,050. ... the Court adopts in full Magistrate Judge Reyes's thorough and well-reasoned ... Report & Recommendation, granting in part and denying in part ... Motion for Default Judgment.”
“for the reasons set forth herein, I respectfully recommend that the Motion be denied in its entirety.”
“I respectfully recommend that the Court grant Gilead's motion for case ending sanctions and strike Abdullaev's answer and enter default against him.”
“For the foregoing reasons, Defendant's motion to dismiss the indictment is DENIED.”
“In an Opinion dated May 10, 2006, Judge Reyes responded to each of those assertions and convincingly established why they were without merit and denied the motion.”
“For the reasons set forth above, I respectfully recommend that Braccia's motion to vacate entry of default be denied.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
A 21-case sample of Judge Reyes's district-court assignments, all filed in 2026 and mostly still pending, is dominated by a surge of alien-detainee habeas petitions. Other matters include contract, fraud and lending, FLSA labor, consumer credit, securities, Social Security, ADA civil-rights, and criminal cases. The few terminations were fast and procedural: habeas relief in Gomez-Gomez after about eight days, a voluntary dismissal in Kovaleski after 21 days, and termination of S.G. v. Mullin after about five days.
Put Judge Reyes's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Reyes actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Reyes's own signed orders and cites them.