Dan Aaron Polster
How Judge Polster rules, drawn from 28 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Polster
Dan A. Polster is a judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Appointed by President William J. Clinton, Judge Polster received a commission on August 3, 1998. Judge Polster assumed senior status on January 31, 2021.
Judge Polster's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Polster, 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.
- Case Management Conference Scheduling Order ↗
- Case Management Plan ↗
- Civil Trial Order ↗
- Criminal Trial Order ↗
- Partial Motions to Dismiss Standing Order ↗
- Civil and Criminal Practices and Procedures ↗
Key rules
Motions
A defendant filing a partial motion to dismiss must answer the remaining counts.
“The Court requires defendants filing partial motions to dismiss to file an answer to the remaining counts of the complaint.”
Motions
Memoranda on motions other than those separately addressed in the practices may not exceed 15 pages.
“Memoranda relating to all other motions may not exceed 15 pages.”
Motions
A request to continue a civil case must be made by motion signed by the parties themselves.
“Requests for continuances in civil cases must be made by motion signed by the parties themselves.”
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 Polster decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In St. Ignatius High School v. Alexy Metals, Polster awarded the prevailing copyright defendant fees after considering the claim’s objective reasonableness, litigation motivation, deterrence, and billing records.
“St. Ignatius’s claim was objectively unreasonable, the suit’s motivation was suspect, an award of attorneys’ fees would promote deterrence, and such an award would serve the purposes of the Copyright Act.”
In Kumar, Polster granted partial immigration-detention habeas relief by requiring a prompt individualized bond hearing with the burden on the government, while allowing immediate release as the alternative if no hearing occurred.
“Petitioner is entitled to certain due process rights such as an individualized bond hearing upon being detained.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“For the reasons stated above, the Court DENIES Defendants Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Johnson and Johnson's (‘J&J's’) Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. #: 1919).”
“In light of the evidence with respect to shipments to Dr. Heim, the Court is unable to conclude that no reasonable jury could find that Schein's market activities were de minimis. ... Accordingly, the Motion is DENIED.”
“Before the Court is CVS's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. #: 1888). For the reasons set forth below, the Motion is DENIED.”
“Before the Court is Rite Aid's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. #: 1888). For the reasons set forth below, the Motion is DENIED.”
“Defendants' Motions to Dismiss are DENIED with respect to Counts I (RICO § 1962(c)); II (RICO § 1962(d)); III (FDUTPA); IV (Misleading Advertising); VI (Negligence); VII (Wanton Negligence); XI (Nuisance); and XII (Unjust Enrichment). Defendants' Motions to Dismiss are GRANTED with respect to Counts II (RICO § 1962(a)); V (Breach of Implied Warranty); VIII (Negligence Per Se); IX (Negligent Marketing); and X (Negligent Distribution).”
“The Pharmacy Defendants have not shown Plaintiffs failed to state a claim for which relief can be granted. Accordingly, Pharmacy Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (Doc. #: 3177) is DENIED.”
“The Court finds that Oliver failed to identify extraordinary and compelling reasons under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) to warrant compassionate release and the § 3553(a) factors weigh heavily against Oliver's requested relief. Accordingly, the Court DENIES Oliver's motion for compassionate release.”
“As there are no disputed material facts, see ECF 17, and based on the foregoing, the Court GRANTS summary judgment in favor of the Government on all claims.”
“Because there are no genuine disputes of material fact on Counts I and II of Pesta's amended complaint, the Court GRANTS summary judgment in favor of Defendants (ECF Doc. 47) and DENIES summary judgment in favor of Plaintiff on those claims.”
“the Court DENIES Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment (ECF Doc. 44) and GRANTS Defendants' motion for summary judgment on Counts I and II.”
“Based on the foregoing, the Court DENIES Bosch's motion for summary judgement without prejudice.”
“For the reasons stated herein, Defendant's motion to compel arbitration and dismiss is GRANTED. This matter is dismissed without prejudice. Plaintiffs may pursue arbitration as required by their employment agreements.”
“Defendant Sedgwick Claims Management's motion to dismiss is GRANTED. ECF Doc. 11. Plaintiff's FMLA interference claim (Count I) against Sedgwick is dismissed with prejudice; plaintiff's aiding and abetting discrimination claim (Count VI) is dismissed without prejudice.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 130 days (N = 6).
The sampled 2019-2022 docket includes opioid multidistrict litigation, federal criminal cases, wage claims, contract and trade-secret disputes, employment matters, habeas petitions, and suits involving federal agencies or officers. The multidistrict cases are prominent in the sample and should not be read as a complete picture of Judge Polster's senior-status docket.
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 | 2,830 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 2,830 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 2,839 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 2,849 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 2,806 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 2,778 |
| Sep 2023 | 1 | 2,718 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 2,671 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 2,219 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 1,643 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 1,198 |
| Mar 2021 | 2 | 456 |
| Sep 2020 | 2 | 3 |
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 Northern District of Ohio, not for Judge Polster: 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 | 2,048 | 7.1 months |
| Closed with no court action | 394 | 3.3 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 1,035 | 5.9 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 607 | 11.4 months |
| Closed during trial | 12 | 18 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 2,048 | 7.1 months |
| Sep 2024 | 2,008 | 7.4 months |
| Sep 2023 | 2,137 | 8.5 months |
| Sep 2022 | 2,330 | 9.8 months |
| Sep 2021 | 2,432 | 9.3 months |
| Sep 2020 | 2,788 | 10.3 months |
| Sep 2019 | 3,158 | 9.9 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 Polster with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Polster, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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