--- title: "Bernard M. Jones | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernard-m-jones" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Bernard M. Jones U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma - State: Oklahoma - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - He previously held the role of a U.S. Magistrate Judge (2015–2019) and as a judge on Oklahoma’s Seventh Judicial District Court (2012–2015) - Appointed District Judge for Oklahoma County in 2012 - Oklahoma City University School of Law, 2008-2012; assistant dean for admissions, 2008-2010; associate dean for admissions and external affairs, 2010-2012 ### Education - Notre Dame Law School — J.D. (2004) - Southern Methodist University — B.A. (2001) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, W.D. Oklahoma, 2015-present - Became the first African American U.S. Magistrate Judge in Oklahoma in 2015 - Private practice, Edmond, Oklahoma, 2012 - Private practice, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 2006-2008 - Private practice, Columbus, Ohio, 2004-2006 - Born 1979 in Oklahoma City. - Bernard Maurice Jones II serves on the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. - overseeing civil, family, drug court, and mental health dockets ## 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.fjc.gov/node/7544951) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544951) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544951) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9486/bernard-m-jones-ii/) - [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/9486/bernard-m-jones-ii/) - [Judge Bernard M. Jones](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544951) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernard-m-jones", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernard-m-jones", "name": "Bernard M. Jones | KnowJudges", "description": "Bernard M. Jones, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernard-m-jones#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernard-m-jones#judge", "name": "Bernard M. 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Jones", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernard-m-jones" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 307 | 14 | 1.3 | 14 | | 2y | 481 | 95 | 2 | 95 | | 5y | 807 | 400 | 3.8 | 400 | | 10y | 996 | 589 | 4.4 | 589 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## 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.