“The orders for deployment were rescinded rendering the application for TRO moot. How else would have you have had the bench rule in that case? “
Correct also. And no, I would not want it any other way. What I was indicating, however, was that Judge Land pesided iover both cases - addressing your contention of “random selection”.
This case assignment does not appear random to me.
Which is why I indicated that the chief judge in each district has some discretion how they assign a particular case - including basing an assignment on a particular skill-set one of his or her judges may posses. It's entirely possible that the chief judge did assign the case based on Land's prior experience. It's equally possible, given the extremely limited number of judges in that particular district, that it was entirely random.
My point to the original poster was that the presiding judge, Land in this case, is/was absolutely powerless to control what cases are or aren't assigned to him. Therefor, it's impossible for him to have "taken" this particular case.