Cecilia M. Romero
How Judge Romero decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
Applies Rule 15 futility rigorously: recommends denying leave to amend (and dismissing with prejudice) where the proposed claims would be subject to dismissal -- e.g. COVID mask-mandate Free Exercise claims against a facially neutral, generally applicable policy that survives rational-basis review.
“recommending that the court deny the Plaintiffs' motion to amend their amended complaint and dismiss the Plaintiffs' case with prejudice”
Cautions
On dismissals in this sample Romero favors WITHOUT prejudice with leave to amend (Reynolds: 30 days to replead after a parallel state case resolves), reserving WITH prejudice for claims she finds futile (Tracy). 'Replead carefully' is the operative signal in most of her recommended dismissals.
“the court ... adopts and affirms the Report and Recommendation in part and dismisses the complaint without prejudice as to all Defendants. Plaintiff will have 30 days after the underlying state case is fully resolved to file an amended complaint.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Magistrate Judge Romero issued a Report and Recommendation recommending that the court grant in part Defendants' motions and dismiss the complaint without prejudice ... the court ... adopts and affirms the Report and Recommendation in part and dismisses the complaint without prejudice as to all Defendants. Plaintiff will have 30 days after the underlying state case is fully resolved to file an amended complaint. ... the court GRANTS Defendants' motions in part, and dismisses the case without prejudice.”
“United States Magistrate Judge Cecilia M. Romero issued a Report and Recommendation (R&R) recommending that the court deny the Plaintiffs' motion to amend their amended complaint and dismiss the Plaintiffs' case with prejudice. ... the court ADOPTS the R&R (ECF No. 69). The court DENIES the Plaintiffs' Motion to Amend (ECF No. 64) and DISMISSES this action WITH PREJUDICE.”
“United States Magistrate Judge Cecilia M. Romero issued a Report and Recommendation (R&R) recommending that the court deny Plaintiff Kathryn Betts's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 27), finding that Ms. Betts failed to meet her burden that she was entitled to judgment as a matter of law on her claims. ... the court adopts the R&R ... in its entirety. ... The Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 27) is DENIED.”
“United States Magistrate Judge Cecilia M. Romero issued a Report & Recommendation (R&R) recommending that the court deny Plaintiff Robert Louis Brown's Motion to Dismiss Case in 4th District Court, Provo, UT (ECF No. 5) and dismiss this case without prejudice. ... the court adopts the R&R (ECF No. 11) in its entirety. ... The court DISMISSES this action without prejudice.”
“Magistrate Judge Cecilia M. Romero issued a Report and Recommendation that the court ... deny ... Club Pilates Millcreek's Motion to Dismiss, ultimately recommending that the entire action be dismissed without prejudice. ... The court DENIES Club Pilates Millcreek's Motion to Dismiss (ECF 20) as moot. ... The court DISMISSES this action without prejudice.”
“The undersigned therefore RECOMMENDS that the court GRANT Cache County Defendants' Motion (ECF 61), GRANT Clerk Defendant's Motion (ECF 72), and GRANT the Federal Defendants' Motion (ECF 73) and DISMISS WITHOUT PREJUDICE Plaintiff's Complaint.”
“Based on Plaintiffs' failure to prosecute this case and abide by the rules and orders of this court, the undersigned RECOMMENDS the court GRANT the Motion (ECF 25); the case be DISMISSED without prejudice; Plaintiffs be ordered to pay Defendant's attorney fees incurred in connection with Plaintiffs' discovery failures.”
“Magistrate Judge Romero granted Ms. Pingree's motion in part but ordered that the temporal scope of the deposition would be limited to 2014 and thereafter and that Topics 8 and 9 would be excluded. ... For the reasons stated herein, Plaintiff's Objection (ECF No. 67) to Magistrate Judge Romero's Order (ECF No. 63) is OVERRULED.”
“Based on the foregoing, Plaintiffs' Motion to Strike (ECF 41) is DENIED, and Defendant's Motion to Amend (ECF 47) is GRANTED.”
“For the reasons above, the court GRANTS Defendants' Partial Motion to Dismiss. Plaintiffs' claim under the Utah Antidiscrimination Act is dismissed.”
“the court hereby DENIES Plaintiff’s Motion for Review of Agency Action (ECF 13) and AFFIRMS the decision of the Commissioner.”
“IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (ECF 20) be GRANTED and this action be DISMISSED without prejudice.”
“the undersigned further recommends denying Plaintiff’s request for default judgment (ECF 15) as moot.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Salt Lake City magistrate (since June 2019; Chief Magistrate Judge since January 2026). Her enumerable assigned-case slice (2026, pending) is a broad civil mix where she is the assigned magistrate: Social Security disability appeals, immigration, FDCPA consumer-credit, copyright, employment, and pro se police civil-rights matters. Her referral merits Reports & Recommendations (motions to dismiss, summary judgment, leave to amend, dismissals) are reviewed by the district judges and appear among the published orders. Composition only; not a grant rate.
Put Judge Romero's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Romero actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Romero's own signed orders and cites them.