--- title: "A. D Copperthite | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-d-copperthite-maryland-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # A. D Copperthite U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland - State: Maryland - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Maryland, 1997–2016-03 - Deputy Chief, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Maryland - Criminal Division, 2001–2003 - Assistant Attorney General, State of Maryland - Criminal Division, 1996–1997 - Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Maryland, 1991–1997 - Assistant State's Attorney, The Baltimore City State’s Attorney Office, 1987–1996 - Reserve JAG Officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps for 11 years - Adjunct Professor, Univ. of Baltimore - School of Law - As a U.S. Magistrate Judge, Copperthite handled pretrial services, certain criminal matters, and other federal cases under the authority of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland - He also held the role of an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law ### Education ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, D. Maryland, 2016-present - Practitioner, 1986–1987, MD - J.D. — Univ. of Baltimore — 1986 - He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1986 - B.A. — Univ. of Baltimore — 1982 - Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1957, Judge Copperthite earned both his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Baltimore. - Date of birth: 1957 - He was also a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland - Birth place: Baltimore, MD ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=29) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=29) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=29) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9294/a-david-copperthite/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9294/a-david-copperthite/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: A. David Copperthite](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9294/a-david-copperthite/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: A. David Copperthite](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-d-copperthite-maryland-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-d-copperthite-maryland-us-magistrate", "name": "A. D Copperthite | KnowJudges", "description": "A. D Copperthite, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. 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D Copperthite", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-d-copperthite-maryland-us-magistrate" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.