--- title: "C. Ashley Royal | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/c-ashley-royal" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # C. Ashley Royal U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia - State: Georgia - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Current role: Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (senior status since 2016) - Judge, District Court, M.D. Georgia, 2001-present - Public defender, Glynn County, GA, 1976-1977 - Assistant district attorney, Augusta Judicial Circuit, GA, 1974-1975 ### Education - University of Georgia — M.S. (1976) - University of Georgia — B.A. (1971) - University of Georgia School of Law ### Additional information - Senior Judge (2016–present) - Private practice, Georgia, 1976-present - Chief Judge: 2008–2014 (some sources list 2009–2014 due to differing reporting conventions) - Private practice, Georgia, 1977-2001 - Date of birth: 1949-01-01 - Birth place: Augusta, GA ## 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/1391401) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391401) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391401) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2799/c-ashley-royal/) - [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/2799/c-ashley-royal/) - [Wikidata: C. Ashley Royal](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5006285) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/c-ashley-royal", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/c-ashley-royal", "name": "C. Ashley Royal | KnowJudges", "description": "C. Ashley Royal, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/c-ashley-royal#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/c-ashley-royal#judge", "name": "C. 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Ashley Royal", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/c-ashley-royal" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 120 | 1 | Not available | 1 | | 2y | 218 | 34 | 3.3 | 34 | | 5y | 433 | 232 | 6.6 | 232 | | 10y | 797 | 595 | 6.1 | 595 | 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.