John A. Kazen
How Judge Kazen rules, drawn from 46 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Kazen
John Andrew Kazen is a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, Judge Kazen received a commission on January 12, 2024.
Judge Kazen's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Kazen, 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.
Key rules
Filing
Serve these civil procedures with the summons and complaint or removal papers.
“THESE PROCEDURES MUST BE SERVED WITH THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT OR REMOVAL PAPERS”
Filing
Send chambers courtesy copies of documents exceeding ten pages, including exhibits and attachments.
“The parties must forward promptly to Chambers courtesy copies of (i) all documents that exceed ten (10) pages in length, including exhibits and attachments,”
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).
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Petitioner's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241, by a Person Subject to Unlawful Detention, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Respondents are ORDERED to RELEASE Petitioner from custody by May 21, 2026... All other relief requested by Petitioner, including her request for recovery of attorney's fees, is DENIED.”
“Respondents' Motion to Dismiss and, in the Alternative, for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 8), is DENIED.”
“Petitioner's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Respondents are ORDERED to RELEASE Petitioner from custody by June 5, 2026... All other relief requested by Petitioner, including her request for recovery of attorney's fees, is DENIED.”
“Having considered the Court's file, the parties' briefing, and the applicable law, the Court will recommend that Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. No. 12) be GRANTED.”
“For the reasons set forth below, the Court RECOMMENDS that the District Court GRANT Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 18), DENY Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 23), and thereby REVERSE and REMAND the Commissioner's decision for further proceedings consistent with this Report and Recommendation.”
“the Court RECOMMENDS that the District Court GRANT Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 18), DENY Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 23)”
Magistrate-era recommendation approving a minor plaintiff's personal-injury settlement (Fed. R. Civ. P. 17(c); Tex. R. Civ. P. 44) after a fairness hearing. This settlement approval did not adjudicate a contested party motion.
“Petitioner's Verified Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. ... Respondents are ORDERED to RELEASE Petitioner from custody by May 19, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ... All other relief requested by Petitioner, including his request for recovery of attorney's fees, is DENIED.”
“Respondents' Motion to Dismiss and, in the Alternative, for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 10), is DENIED.”
“Petitioner's pro se Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 18), is DENIED. ... All other relief requested by Petitioner is DENIED.”
“Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 18), is DENIED.”
“Petitioner's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 and Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 12), is DENIED. ... All other relief requested by Petitioner, including his request for attorney's fees, is DENIED.”
“Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 12), is DENIED.”
“Petitioner's Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED.”
“Respondents' Motion to Dismiss and, Alternatively, Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 7), is DENIED.”
“Petitioner's First Amended Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 and Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, (Dkt. No. 10) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Respondents' Response to the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus and Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 14) is DENIED. ... All other relief requested by Petitioner, including his request for recovery of attorney's fees, is DENIED.”
“Respondents' Response to the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus and Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 14) is DENIED.”
“Petitioner's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus and Request for Order to Show Cause, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 13), is DENIED. ... All other relief requested by Petitioner, including his request for recovery of attorney's fees, is DENIED.”
“Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 13), is DENIED.”
“Petitioner's Verified Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, (Dkt. No. 1), is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 8), is DENIED. ... All other relief requested by Petitioner, including his request for recovery of attorney's fees, is DENIED.”
“Respondents' Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 8), is DENIED.”
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 | 1 |
| 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 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 3 |
| Sep 2021 | 2 | 2 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 1 |
| 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.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, not for Judge Kazen: 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 | 5,742 | 7.6 months |
| Closed with no court action | 2,442 | 6 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 2,371 | 7.4 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 871 | 11.4 months |
| Closed during trial | 58 | 31.6 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 5,742 | 7.6 months |
| Sep 2024 | 5,086 | 7.5 months |
| Sep 2023 | 4,762 | 7.9 months |
| Sep 2022 | 4,595 | 8.8 months |
| Sep 2021 | 4,745 | 8.8 months |
| Sep 2020 | 5,009 | 8.1 months |
| Sep 2019 | 5,233 | 7.5 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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