Ronald G. Morgan
How Judge Morgan decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Does not grant unopposed dispositive motions by default — independently reviews the merits before recommending a grant, even when the non-movant files no response.
“The Court, however, may not simply grant a dispositive motion as unopposed; it must consider the merits of the motion.”
Procedural preferences
Enforces the presiding district judge's standing civil procedures strictly: struck a summary-judgment response that did not comply with Judge Hanen's Civil Procedures and required a conforming amended filing.
“Plaintiffs filing does not comport with Judge Hanens Civil Procedures. The Plaintiff may file an amended response to the motion for summary judgment no later than March 7, 2016.”
Routinely grants reasonable, agreed/unopposed extensions of time to respond to dispositive motions (multiple granted in Fuller), but expects the eventual response to comply with the local rules.
“ORDER granting 72 Motion for Extension of Time. The motion for an extension of time is GRANTED. Fuller shall file his response to the motions for summary judgment no later than December 14, 2015.”
Cautions
Affords pro se litigants liberal construction but holds them to the substantive and procedural law; a liberal read will not save a meritless or jurisdictionally barred claim.
“allegations by pro se litigants must be afforded liberal construction ... That latitude, however, “does not exempt a party from compliance with relevant rules of procedural and substantive law.””
In §2255 collateral attacks, enforces appellate/collateral-attack waivers in plea agreements and reaches the merits only in the alternative.
“the Court RECOMMENDS that Munoz-Munoz’s petition be DISMISSED, because he waived his right to file the instant petition.”
Motion outcomes
Counted from classified signed orders only. Percentages are shown only where the sample is large enough to be meaningful; smaller samples are reported as raw counts.
| Summary judgment N = 4 |
Granted: 3Moot / procedural: 1 | counts only |
| Motion to vacate 2255 N = 1 |
Denied: 1 | counts only |
| Motion for attorney fees N = 1 |
Granted: 1 | counts only |
| Habeas petition N = 1 |
Moot / procedural: 1 | counts only |
A "1 of 1" is one ruling, not a tendency. Treat small samples as illustrative, not predictive.
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“It is RECOMMENDED that Jose Luis Lopez’s petition for writ of habeas corpus by a person in state custody pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 be DISMISSED without prejudice for lack of jurisdiction.”
“It is further recommended that the motion for summary judgment filed by Lorie Davis be denied as moot.”
“It is recommended that the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment be granted.”
“It is recommended that the partial motion for summary judgment filed by Gallegos Roman and Gonzales be granted.”
“the Court RECOMMENDS that Munoz-Munoz’s petition be DISMISSED, because he waived his right to file the instant petition. Furthermore, if Munoz-Munoz’s petition is not dismissed, it should be DENIED, because it is legally and substantively meritless.”
“It is recommended that the motion for attorney’s fees and costs filed by G.C. Development be granted.”
“WHEREFORE it is RECOMMENDED that the motions for summary judgment filed by Brownsville Independent School District, Catalina Presas-Garcia, Lucy Longoria, Christina Saavedra, Enrique Escobedo, Sylvia Atkinson, and Carl Montoya be granted.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 749 days (N = 4).
Cohort nature-of-suit (4 analyzed dockets, all Brownsville Division before Morgan as the referral magistrate): APA/immigration mandamus, diversity personal-injury, breach of contract, §1983 civil rights. His broader GovInfo footprint is dominated by criminal R&Rs (felony guilty-plea Rule 11 allocutions, illegal-reentry) plus §2254/§2255 habeas — typical of a border-division magistrate. Not a complete caseload census.