--- title: "Bridget Meehan Brennan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bridget-meehan-brennan" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Bridget Meehan Brennan U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio - State: Ohio - 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 - Bridget Meehan Brennan (née Bridget Maeve Meehan, born 1974) is an American judge serving on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio since February 8, 2022 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Ohio, 2007-2022 ### Education - Case Western Reserve University School of Law — J.D. (2000) - John Carroll University — B.A. (1997) ### Additional information - Acting U.S. attorney, 2021-2022 - Nominated: September 30, 2021, by President Joe Biden to replace Judge Dan Polster, who took senior status - First assistant U.S. attorney, 2018-2021 - Chief, Criminal Division, 2017-2018 - Chief, Civil Rights Unit, 2015-2017 - Private practice, Cleveland, Ohio, 2000-2007 - Date of birth: 1974 - During her confirmation hearings, Senator Ted Cruz questioned her support for Case Western Reserve University law professor Ayesha Bell Hardaway, who advocated for reforms in Cleveland police practices ## 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/11442236) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/11442236) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/11442236) - [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) - [Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan](https://www.fjc.gov/node/11442236) - [Wikidata: Bridget M. Brennan](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108755644) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bridget-meehan-brennan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bridget-meehan-brennan", "name": "Bridget Meehan Brennan | KnowJudges", "description": "Bridget Meehan Brennan, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-08", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bridget-meehan-brennan#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bridget-meehan-brennan#judge", "name": "Bridget Meehan Brennan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bridget-meehan-brennan", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/11442236" ], "birthDate": "1974", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "John Carroll University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Case Western Reserve University School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Ohio", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/ohio" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bridget Meehan Brennan", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bridget-meehan-brennan" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 121 | 8 | Not available | 8 | | 2y | 310 | 75 | 2.8 | 75 | | 5y | 693 | 418 | 4.9 | 418 | | 10y | 693 | 418 | 4.9 | 418 | 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.