Kai N. Scott
How Judge Scott rules, drawn from 26 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Scott
Kai N. Scott is a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. appointed her, and she received her commission on January 18, 2023. She previously served as a judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
Judge Scott's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Scott, as published on the court's website (checked October 8, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
- Policies and Procedures ↗
- Report of Rule 26(f) Meeting (pdf version) ↗
- Report of Rule 26(f) Meeting (word version) ↗
- Order Governing Electronic Discovery ↗
- Speedy Trial Waiver Form ↗
- Status Report Form ↗
- Standing Order Re Artificial Intelligence ↗
- Voir Dire Template (pdf version) ↗
- Voir Dire Template (word version) ↗
Key rules
Filing
File searchable PDFs electronically.
“All filings must be filed electronically through ECF in compliance with federal and local rules and must be filed as searchable PDFs.”
Filing
Disclose any AI use in filed papers and certify that every legal and record citation was verified.
“MUST, in a clear and plain factual statement, disclose that AI has been used in any way in the preparation of the filing, and CERTIFY, that each and every citation to the law or the record in the paper, has been verified as accurate.”
Conferences
Submit the Rule 26(f) report at least seven business days before the Rule 16 conference.
“The Rule 26(f) report must be submitted no later than (7) business days before the Rule 16 conference”
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 8, 2026).
- Standing Order on Procedure for Case Opening ↗
- Standing Order on Highly Sensitive Documents ↗
- Standing Order on Access and Management of Sealed Documents ↗
- Standing Order on Filing Procedures in Alien Detainee Cases ↗
- Second Amended Standing Order on Guilty Pleas and Sentencing ↗
- Standing Order on Electronic Document Submission for Unrepresented Litigants ↗
- Standing Procedural Order for Cases Seeking Social Security Review ↗
- Superseding Standing Order on Procedural Matters in Pro Se Civil and Habeas Cases ↗
- Standing Order on Electronic Access to Civil and Criminal Transcripts ↗
How Judge Scott decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In one insurance dispute, the court granted a declaration that the policies shared coverage obligations.
“Plaintiff’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings (ECF No. 17) is GRANTED to the extent it seeks a declaration that the relevant policies are mutually repugnant and that the insurers owe coverage on an equal shares basis as described in American Casualty Company of Reading v. PHICO Insurance Company, 702 A.2d 1050 (Pa. 1997). Plaintiff’s Motion (ECF No. 17) is DENIED in all other respects”
Procedural preferences
The court dismissed a complaint without prejudice and allowed an amended pleading within thirty days.
“Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 4) is GRANTED and the Complaint is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. If Plaintiff elects to amend its Complaint, it must do so within thirty (30) days”
Cautions
The court denied a request to seal an entire case because the asserted harm did not justify secrecy.
“Motion to Seal Case is DENIED because Clarke has not satisfied the heavy burden of establishing that this docket must remain sealed”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The Motion is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART”
“Leave to proceed in forma pauperis is GRANTED”
“Motion to Appoint Counsel (ECF No. 3) is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE”
“Plaintiff’s Omnibus Motion is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part”
“Raja Rajan’s Motion for Leave to Appeal Sanctions and Stay Enforcement is DENIED”
“the Petition is GRANTED”
“Motion for Temporary Restraining Order is DENIED as moot”
“Leave to proceed in forma pauperis is GRANTED”
“Motion to Seal Case is DENIED because Clarke has not satisfied the heavy burden of establishing that this docket must remain sealed”
“Defendant Robert A. Auclair’s Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim is GRANTED”
“Defendant John Whelan’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint is GRANTED”
“Defendants Michael Troy Freedman and Adrienna Hunsberger’s Motion to Join Robert A. Auclair’s Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim is GRANTED”
“Leave to proceed in forma pauperis is GRANTED”
“Motion to Seal In Forma Pauperis Application (ECF No. 7) is DENIED as moot”
“Gardner’s Request for Default Judgment (ECF No. 11) and Defendants’ Motion to Strike Petitioner’s Request for Entry of Judgment of Default (ECF No, 12) are DENIED as moot”
“Leave to proceed in forma pauperis is GRANTED”
“Motions (ECF Nos. 9, 17, 23) are GRANTED and Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint (ECF No. 6) is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. Plaintiffs may file a second amended complaint within thirty (30) days”
“Motions (ECF Nos. 9, 17, 23) are GRANTED and Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint (ECF No. 6) is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE”
“The Motions are GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median motion-to-ruling time: 270 days (N = 11).
The fifteen reviewed dockets include insurance, employment, contract, civil rights, and service disputes. Three were selected for readable dispositions, so the set does not establish the judge’s caseload mix.
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 | 29 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 3 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 5 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 29 | 5 |
| Sep 2025 | 18 | 2 |
| Mar 2025 | 12 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 17 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 17 | 0 |
| Sep 2023 | 10 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 0 |
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 U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, not for Judge Scott: 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 | 5,730 | 5.1 months |
| Closed with no court action | 1,952 | 3.2 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 2,834 | 4.7 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 898 | 10 months |
| Closed during trial | 46 | 17.8 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 5,730 | 5.1 months |
| Sep 2024 | 6,200 | 4.6 months |
| Sep 2023 | 6,595 | 7 months |
| Sep 2022 | 5,221 | 6.6 months |
| Sep 2021 | 5,245 | 6.5 months |
| Sep 2020 | 4,686 | 5.7 months |
| Sep 2019 | 5,374 | 6 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 Scott with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Scott, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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