Marian W. Payson
How Judge Payson rules, drawn from 15 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Payson no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Payson
Marian W. Payson served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of New York from 2003 to 2025. She earned a law degree from Northwestern University and previously led the New York Attorney General’s Rochester office.
How Judge Payson decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Hodgkin v. Commissioner of Social Security, Payson granted the claimant's motion, denied the Commissioner's motion, and remanded the case for calculation and payment of benefits.
“The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (12) is denied, and Hodgkin's motion for judgment on the pleadings (8) is granted. This matter is remanded to the Commissioner for calculation and payment of benefits.”
In Carpenter v. Commissioner of Social Security, Payson affirmed the denial of benefits after finding that the ALJ's decision rested on substantial evidence and applied the correct legal standards.
“Upon review of the record, this Court finds that the Commissioner’s denial of DIB/SSI was based on substantial evidence and was not erroneous as a matter of law. Accordingly, the ALJ’s decision is affirmed.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Plaintiff has not proved a cause of action for conversion, fraud or breach of fiduciary duty, and judgment is entered in favor of defendant on all claims.”
“DECISION & ORDER re (1) Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus is denied.”
“The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (18) is granted. Cook's motion for judgment on the pleadings (10) is denied, and Cook's complaint (1) is dismissed with prejudice.”
“The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (12) is denied, and Hodgkin's motion for judgment on the pleadings (8) is granted. This matter is remanded to the Commissioner for calculation and payment of benefits.”
“The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (13) is denied, and Heim's motion for judgment on the pleadings (10) is granted to the extent that the Commissioner's decision is reversed, and this case is remanded to the Commissioner pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), sentence four, for further administrative proceedings consistent with this decision.”
“ORDER granting (18) Motion for Attorney Fees. The court awards Hiller attorneys' fees in the amount of $8,909.44 payable directly to Hiller, unless the government declines to waive application of the Anti-Assignment Act, in which case the award shall be payable to plaintiff, but delivered to plaintiff's counsel.”
“The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (10) is denied, and plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (8) is granted to the extent that the Commissioner's decision is reversed, and this case is remanded to the Commissioner pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), sentence four, for further administrative proceedings consistent with this decision.”
“This Court finds that the Commissioner's denial of DIB was based upon substantial evidence and was not erroneous as a matter of law. Accordingly, the ALJ's decision is affirmed. The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (11) is granted. Plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (10) is denied, and plaintiff's complaint (1) is dismissed with prejudice.”
“The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (9) is denied, and plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (8) is granted to the extent that the Commissioner's decision is reversed, and this case is remanded to the Commissioner pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), sentence four, for further administrative proceedings consistent with this decision.”
“This Court finds that the Commissioner's denial of SSI/DIB was based on substantial evidence and was not erroneous as a matter of law. Accordingly, the ALJ's decision is affirmed. The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (9) is granted. Plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (8) is denied, and plaintiff's complaint (1) is dismissed with prejudice.”
“The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (8) is denied, and plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (7) is granted to the extent that the Commissioner's decision is reversed, and this case is remanded to the Commissioner pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), sentence four, for further administrative proceedings consistent with this decision.”
“This Court finds that the Commissioner's denial of DIB/SSI was based on substantial evidence and was not erroneous as a matter of law. Accordingly, the ALJ's decision is affirmed. The Commissioner's motion for judgment on the pleadings (7) is granted. Plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (6) is denied, and plaintiff's complaint (1) is dismissed with prejudice.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Payson's enumerated docket includes a sustained run of consent-track Social Security disability appeals spanning her entire tenure (2018 through 2024), alongside a large early-tenure civil-rights and habeas caseload inherited from a predecessor magistrate, insurance and contract disputes she managed through pretrial matters and, on party consent, decided outright, and the routine criminal-complaint, search-warrant, and seizure-warrant matters that make up a substantial share of a magistrate judge's duty rotation.
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 | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 4 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 4 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 3 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 4 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 3 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 1 |
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.
A historical record
Judge Payson no longer sits on this court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.