Charmiane G. Claxton
How Judge Claxton rules, drawn from 32 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Claxton
Charmiane G. Claxton is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, where she has served since June 2009. She earned a mathematics degree from Spelman College and a law degree from the University of Memphis. Before joining the bench, she worked as a law clerk, public agency counsel, private attorney, and human resources executive.
Judge Claxton's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Claxton, 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.
- Settlement Conference Instructions ↗
- Social Security Fact Sheet ↗
- Judge Claxton's Model Scheduling Order for Routine Cases ↗
- Instructions ↗
Key rules
Conferences
Bring a party representative with full settlement authority in person to Judge Claxton’s settlement conference.
“The parties or representatives of corporate parties, WITH FULL SETTLEMENT AUTHORITY, must be present IN PERSON at the conference.”
Conferences
Plaintiff's counsel must send a written settlement demand to defense counsel at least 14 days before a Claxton conference.
“at least fourteen (14) days prior to the settlement conference, Plaintiff=s counsel shall submit a written itemization of damages and settlement demand to Defendant=s counsel”
Conferences
Defense counsel must send a written settlement offer to plaintiff's counsel no later than seven days before a Claxton conference.
“No later than seven (7) days prior to the settlement conference, Defendant=s counsel shall submit a written offer to Plaintiff=s counsel”
Conferences
Deliver an in camera settlement statement to Judge Claxton at least three business days before the conference.
“an in camera statement no later than three (3) business days before the scheduled settlement”
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 Claxton decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Where a claim's viability turns on a fact the pleading itself does not resolve (here, whether alleged defamation was written or spoken, which set different limitations periods), the judge recommends denying dismissal without prejudice rather than resolving the ambiguity against the plaintiff at the pleading stage.
“While Plaintiff claims that his cause of action is one of defamation, there is an important distinction between the two types of defamation -- libel and slander.”
Procedural preferences
On an unopposed motion to enforce a settlement, the judge treats the non-appearing party's silence and her attorney's good-faith negotiation as sufficient grounds to recommend enforcement, without requiring further hearing.
“the undersigned recommends that the Plaintiff not be permitted to avoid an agreement negotiated in good faith by her attorney.”
A bill of particulars is unnecessary when the indictment supplies the essential charge details and discovery already gives the defendant the underlying communications needed to prepare a defense.
“Thus, for this additional reason, Defendant is not entitled to a bill of particulars because the evidence that forms the basis of the Government’s charge against him has been made available to him through other sources.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“It is RECOMMENDED that the motion to dismiss be DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE to refile should later facts be developed to show that the alleged defamation was in the form of slander.”
“Based on the foregoing, it is recommended that Defendant's Motion to Enforce Settlement Agreement be GRANTED and that an Order in a form substantially similar to that which is attached as Exhibit A to this Report and Recommendation be entered.”
A pro se Title VII plaintiff moved to voluntarily dismiss her own case while it was still under initial screening. The magistrate judge recommended treating the motion as a self-executing notice of dismissal under Rule 41(a)(1) and entering judgment accordingly, rather than as a contested motion requiring a court order. A recommendation to the district judge, not a final order.
“Accordingly, it is RECOMMENDED that Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction be DENIED.”
“Accordingly, it is RECOMMENDED that Plaintiff’s Motion for Interim Equitable Relief be DENIED.”
“Accordingly, it is RECOMMENDED that Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Pleading be DENIED.”
District judge adopted Magistrate Judge Claxton's report and recommendation to dismiss the pro se plaintiff's complaint following 1915(e)(2) screening; plaintiff's untimely pro se objections were considered but did not change the outcome. Screening dismissal quote: The Court has reviewed the Report for clear error and finds none. Therefore, the Court ADOPTS the Magistrate Judge's Report and DISMISSES the Complaint without prejudice.
District judge adopted Magistrate Judge Claxton's report and recommendation to dismiss the pro se plaintiff's Section 1983 complaint against a non-government entity with prejudice. Screening dismissal quote: The Court has reviewed the Report for clear error and finds none. Therefore, the Court ADOPTS the Magistrate Judge's Report and DISMISSES the Complaint with prejudice.
District judge adopted Magistrate Judge Claxton's report and recommendation to dismiss a pro se Section 1983 and wrongful-termination complaint with prejudice for failure to state a claim; no objections were filed. Screening dismissal quote: Therefore, the Court ADOPTS the R&R, DISMISSES the complaint WITH PREJUDICE, and finds that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
“Consistent with the foregoing, the Magistrate Judge's R&R is ADOPTED, and Defendant's Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1).”
District judge modified and adopted Magistrate Judge Claxton's report and recommendation to dismiss a pro se Title VII race/color discrimination complaint for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6); the district judge corrected the R&R's legal standard but reached the same result. Screening dismissal quote: Accordingly, the Court MODIFIES the R&R as described above, and DISMISSES Shaw's complaint.
“For the reasons set forth herein, it is recommended that Defendant's Motion to Suppress be DENIED.”
“Therefore, it is RECOMMENDED that the District Court remand the citation to the Shelby County General Sessions Court due to the lack of subject matter jurisdiction.”
Magistrate Judge Claxton's report and recommendation to dismiss a pro se prisoner IFP complaint as incomprehensible and failing to state a claim; recommendation only, no separate district-judge adoption order located. Screening dismissal quote: Therefore, it is RECOMMENDED that the Court DISMISS the complaint for failure to state a claim on which relief may be granted, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B)(i)-(ii).
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Her own consent-jurisdiction caseload in the sampled window is dominated by Social Security disability appeals (DIWC/DIWW and SSID claims), alongside personal-injury removals and civil-rights claims. The docket sample includes consent-jurisdiction civil cases she carried through summary judgment and discovery motions, plus one consented Social Security affirmance.
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 | 1 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2020 | 2 | 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 Western District of Tennessee, not for Judge Claxton: 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 | 893 | 8.6 months |
| Closed with no court action | 381 | 8.6 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 489 | 8.3 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 10 | 25.8 months |
| Closed during trial | 13 | 26.7 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 893 | 8.6 months |
| Sep 2024 | 737 | 9.4 months |
| Sep 2023 | 755 | 9.9 months |
| Sep 2022 | 782 | 10.3 months |
| Sep 2021 | 792 | 10 months |
| Sep 2020 | 766 | 8.7 months |
| Sep 2019 | 780 | 9.7 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).
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