Kimberly C. Priest Johnson
How Judge Johnson rules, drawn from 9 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Johnson no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Johnson
Kimberly C. Priest Johnson served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Sherman Division of the Eastern District of Texas from 2016 until 2025. Before joining the bench, she worked in civil litigation and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Dallas.
How Judge Johnson decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Chambers v. Experian, Priest Johnson recommended giving the self-represented plaintiff leave to amend her claims against Experian despite her failure to respond, because the pleading defect could be addressed with additional facts.
“the Court, in the interest of justice, recommends that Plaintiff be given leave to amend her claims against Experian.”
In Bey v. Bray, she recommended denying leave to amend because the sovereign-citizen claims were frivolous and amendment would be futile.
“Plaintiff’s claims based on sovereign citizen theories are both meritless and frivolous, and amendment would be futile.”
Procedural preferences
In Bey v. Bray, she recommended dismissal without prejudice for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction after explaining the court’s duty to address jurisdiction on its own.
“sua sponte dismissal is mandatory when a court discovers that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction”
In Salvador v. Target, Priest Johnson found federal-question jurisdiction and recommended denying remand even though both parties had focused on the absence of diversity jurisdiction.
“The parties are correct that the Amended Petition (Dkt. 6) destroys diversity jurisdiction. But they both appear to ignore the presence of federal question jurisdiction.”
In Daily v. Lemas, Priest Johnson found the plaintiff's summary-judgment motion premature because discovery had not developed the record needed to assess his claims, and recommended denial without prejudice.
“Plaintiff has filed his motion for summary judgment prematurely. No discovery has been made to properly consider Plaintiff’s claims”
Cautions
In Bey v. Mr. Cooper, Priest Johnson rejected the plaintiff’s claim that the Moroccan-American Treaty of Peace exempted him from federal and state law. She recommended dismissal without prejudice for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction and found amendment futile; adoption is unverified.
“so far as Plaintiff pleads that the Moroccan-American Treaty of Peace (or any other treaty) exempts him from federal and state laws ... this argument is meritless.”
In Bey v. Jay Bray, Magistrate Judge Priest Johnson declined to recuse herself from a referral based on the plaintiff’s lack of consent to magistrate jurisdiction.
“the undersigned finds it is not appropriate to recuse herself from this matter”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Movant Alejandro Ruiz-Rojas’ Motion to Vacate, Set Aside or Correct a Sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 is GRANTED, that the sentence imposed in Criminal Number 4:17CR00143-001 is VACATED, and that Movant shall be resentenced.”
Plaintiff’s case should be dismissed without prejudice for want of prosecution and failure to obey an Order ... Plaintiff’s complaint is DISMISSED without prejudice.
Plaintiff’s lawsuit should be dismissed without prejudice for want of prosecution ... Plaintiff’s complaint is DISMISSED without prejudice.
“Petitioner’s ‘Motion to Order State to Provide State Court Record to Petitioner,’ (Dkt. #35), construed as a writ of mandamus, is DISMISSED for lack of jurisdiction.”
“It is therefore ORDERED the petitions for writ of habeas corpus are DISMISSED without prejudice.”
“the Court recommends that the Motion to Dismiss (Dkt. 9) be DENIED, and the Amended Petition (Dkt. 6) be deemed the live pleading in this matter.”
“The Court further recommends that the Motion to Remand (Dkt. 7) be DENIED.”
“the Court recommends the Motion to Dismiss (Dkt. 6) be GRANTED to the extent Mr. Cooper asserts the Court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction, and Plaintiff’s claims be DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.”
“the undersigned finds it is not appropriate to recuse herself from this matter and turns to whether the Court has subject matter jurisdiction.”
“Based on the foregoing, the Court recommends Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment (Dkt. #25) be summarily DENIED without prejudice as premature.”
“For the foregoing reasons, the Court recommends the Motion to Dismiss (Dkt. 24) be GRANTED, and Plaintiff’s claims be DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.”
Pending matters in the official report
Judge Johnson was last listed in the Civil Justice Reform Act report as of March 31, 2024.
| 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 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 Johnson 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.