did some on this board think this was supposed to be a settlement conference call?

This was never an ENE conference.

This was, imo, a standard scheduling order to move cases forward, that's it, that's what federal courts do, and imo, could have happened sooner if we hadn't kept adding cases to "low number" and have several judge recusals.....it's just a day at work at the federal courthouse....

now, pursuant to court order, there is a deadline for discovery, imo this is good.