Lee Ann Reno

How Judge Reno rules, drawn from 25 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Position
Magistrate judge
Commissioned
October 1, 2017
Education
Texas Tech University (B.S. in Education, 1990, summa cum laude); Texas Tech University School of Law (J.D., 1994, cum laude)
Signed orders read
25

About Judge Reno

Lee Ann Reno became a United States Magistrate Judge in the Amarillo Division of the Northern District of Texas in October 2017. She earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Texas Tech University and practiced law at Sprouse Shrader Smith before joining the bench.

Judge Reno's practices and standing orders

Rules for cases before Judge Reno, 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.

Key rules

Filing

Be ready to provide a paper judge's copy promptly if chambers directs it.

“Counsel should be prepared to have a judge’s copy promptly delivered to the United States District Clerk’s office if directed to do so by chambers.”

Motions

A proposed order is generally unnecessary for criminal requests to extend a hearing or preindictment criminal filings unless chambers asks.

“Unless chambers contacts the filing attorney to request a proposed order, proposed orders are NOT required for any criminal filing requesting the extension of a hearing that is to be held before Judge Reno, nor for any criminal filing made prior to indictment.”

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).

Key rules from these orders · The court's local rules ↗

How Judge Reno decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

In Mendoza v. Amarillo Independent School District, Reno denied dismissal of disability-discrimination claims and declined to treat the disputed facts in an expert report from earlier state litigation as judicially noticeable facts.

“Judicial notice of Plaintiffs’ filings in other courts is appropriate, but judicial notice of the facts asserted in those filings is not.”

In Apollo MedFlight v. BlueCross, Reno recommended allowing claims under Texas Emergency Care Statutes to proceed because BlueCross had not established that those statutes lacked a private right of action; she separately recommended dismissing claims brought directly under the related administrative regulations.

“Accordingly, the undersigned recommends that BlueCross’ motion to dismiss Apollo’s claims under the Emergency Care Statutes on the ground that the statutes do not create a private right of action be denied.”

Procedural preferences

In Rodriguez v. Enertis Solar, Reno denied a complete stay of a civil case during a parallel criminal prosecution, protecting the individual defendant’s Fifth Amendment interests through limited discovery while allowing discovery from the company and other witnesses to proceed.

“A complete stay of the case would prejudice Plaintiffs from proceeding in discovery as to Defendant Enertis, as well as with respect to non-party witnesses.”

Cautions

In a later Mendoza order, Reno barred experts from stating legal conclusions under disability statutes but rejected the school district’s request to exclude the experts and their opinions in full.

“Defendant’s motions are DENIED to the extent that they ask the Court to exclude Plaintiffs’ experts and their opinions in their entirety.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Castillo v. Director, TDCJ-CID
2:18-cv-00200-M-BR · 2021-11-02
Habeas petition (petitioner) Denied

“Further, the Court should DENY Castillo's remaining habeas claim as meritless.”

Motion to amend (petitioner) Denied

“So construed the motion to amend should be DENIED as futile.”

Ramirez v. Killian
2:18-cv-00107-Z-BR · 2019-08-20
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“It is further RECOMMENDED that Sheriff Riley's Motion for Summary Judgment be GRANTED on the claim of failure to intervene as it relates to the use of force against Plaintiff Ramirez by Deputy Killian.”

Motions to strike (defendant) Granted in part

“the Court recommends that the Objections be GRANTED in part and OVERRULED in part, the Motion to Strike be GRANTED in part and DENIED in part, and the Motion for Summary Judgment be GRANTED.”

Agnew v. Foley
2:18-cv-00064-D-BR · 2018-06-01
Screening dismissal (court) Granted

“it is the RECOMMENDATION ... that the complaint filed by plaintiff NORMAN L. AGNEW be DISMISSED as barred by the three strikes provision of 28 U.S.C. 1915(g). This dismissal should be without prejudice to plaintiff's right to reopen the case if he pays the $400.00 filing and administrative fees ...”

Jackson v. Cruz
2:18-cv-00078-Z-BR · 2018-11-14
Screening dismissal (court) Granted

“it is the RECOMMENDATION ... that the complaint filed by plaintiff REIDIE JACKSON be DISMISSED as barred by the three strikes provision of 28 U.S.C. section 1915(g). This dismissal should be without prejudice to plaintiff's right to reopen the case if he pays the $400.00 filing and administrative fees ...”

United States v. Davila
2:23-cr-00062-Z-BR-(2) · 2024-02-26

Reno recommended accepting the defendant's felony guilty plea under 21 U.S.C. § 841. Judge Kacsmaryk adopted the recommendation in full, adjudged the defendant guilty, and referred the mandatory-detention issue back to Reno. This ministerial plea proceeding is not treated as a contested merits motion.

Garcia v. City of Amarillo, Texas
2:18-CV-95-D-BR · 2018-10-29
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Moot / procedural

“For the above reasons, it is the RECOMMENDATION of the United States Magistrate Judge to the United States District Judge that the City’s Motion to Dismiss [ECF 3] be DENIED without prejudice as moot.”

Greinstein v. Granite Services International, Inc. and FieldCore Services Solutions, LLC
2:18-CV-208-D-BR · 2019-04-22
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Moot / procedural

“For the above reasons, it is the RECOMMENDATION of the United States Magistrate Judge to the United States Senior District Judge that Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss [ECF 9] be DENIED without prejudice as moot.”

Apollo MedFlight, LLC v. BlueCross BlueShield of Texas
2:18-CV-0166-D-BR · 2019-04-12
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted in part

“It is the RECOMMENDATION of the United States Magistrate Judge to the United States Senior District Judge that Defendant's Motion to Dismiss [ECF 15] be GRANTED in part and DENIED in part as follows: granted as to Apollo's claims under the Texas Administrative Code alleged in Count I., but denied as to Apollo's claims under the Emergency Care Statutes alleged in Count I.; granted as to Apollo's claims under the ACA in Count V.; and denied as to Apollo's claims under Insurance Code Chapter 541 in Count II.”

Pineda v. Director, TDCJ-CID
2:22-CV-243-Z-BR · 2023-02-23
Habeas petition (petitioner) Moot / procedural

“It is the RECOMMENDATION of the United States Magistrate Judge to the United States District Judge that the federal habeas corpus application (ECF 3) filed by Petitioner Augustin Pineda be DISMISSED.”

Bazan v. Director, TDCJ-CID
2:18-CV-116-Z-BR · 2020-12-10
Habeas petition (petitioner) Moot / procedural

“it is the RECOMMENDATION of the United States Magistrate Judge to the United States District Judge that the Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus by a Person in State Custody filed by Petitioner be DISMISSED as moot.”

Slate v. Director, TDCJ, et al.
2:22-CV-196-Z-BR · 2023-08-18
Default judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“Defendants are not in default and, contrary to Slate's representation in his motion (ECF 18 at 1), default has not been entered by the Clerk. The motion for default judgment should be DENIED.”

Summary judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“The motion for summary judgment is premature, but in any event fails to establish that Slate is entitled to judgment. The motion for summary judgment should be DENIED.”

Screening dismissal (court) Granted

“For the reasons discussed herein, it is the RECOMMENDATION of the United States Magistrate Judge to the United States District Judge that Plaintiff's pending motions be DENIED, and that the claims of plaintiff, John Slate, be DISMISSED.”

Herod v. Lumpkin, et al.
2:22-CV-00086-Z-BR · 2024-01-03
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted in part

“As set forth above, the U.S. Magistrate Judge recommends that Defendants' Motion to Dismiss be GRANTED pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1); specifically, that the Court dismiss without prejudice all claims for monetary damages against Defendants in their official capacities. The U.S. Magistrate Judge recommends that Defendants' Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) be GRANTED as to all claims against Defendants Lumpkin, Gonzales, Williamson and T. King and that it otherwise be denied. Lastly, the U.S. Magistrate Judge recommends allowing Herod to amend his pleading within 20 days of the District Judge ruling on this FCR solely for the purpose of specifying the injunctive relief he seeks against Defendants, and repleading his cause of action against T. King for failing to render aid. The only claims not recommended for dismissal are those claims against Defendant J. King in her individual capacity.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

The caseload description is illustrative rather than a complete census. Many consent Social Security cases in the sample ended within four to seven months, while criminal-duty matters were generally pending procedural cases.

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 months0
Bench trials submitted more than six months0
Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months0
Social Security appeals pending more than six months0
Civil cases pending more than three years0
ReportMotions over six monthsCases over three years
Mar 202600
Sep 202500
Mar 202500
Sep 202400
Mar 202400
Sep 202300
Mar 202300
Sep 202200
Mar 202200
Sep 202100
Mar 202100
Sep 202000

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 Northern District of Texas, not for Judge Reno: 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.

CasesMedian time
All civil cases closed4,1035.9 months
Closed with no court action8294 months
Closed before pretrial3,2286.3 months
Closed during or after pretrial1116.1 months
Closed during trial3519.3 months
12 months endingCases closedMedian time
Sep 20254,1035.9 months
Sep 20243,6485.6 months
Sep 20233,8086.5 months
Sep 20228,69856 months
Sep 20216,09419.4 months
Sep 20206,29413.3 months
Sep 20193,3676.9 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 Reno with the record in hand

Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Reno, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.

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