--- title: "Cari Fais | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cari-fais-new-jersey-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Cari Fais U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey - State: New Jersey - 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. ## 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=22) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=22) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=22) - [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) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cari-fais-new-jersey-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cari-fais-new-jersey-us-magistrate", "name": "Cari Fais | KnowJudges", "description": "Cari Fais, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. 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Lautenberg U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Newark following an informal swearing-in, with a formal investiture ceremony scheduled for a later date - Before law school, she served as a victim advocate at Womanspace and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office ### Education ### Additional information - Confirmed by the New Jersey Senate in October 2024 after serving as acting director since May 2022 - Before her judicial appointment, Fais held the role of the Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), becoming the first Latina to lead the state’s consumer protection agency - She fills the vacancy left by the retirement of Magistrate Judge Cathy Waldor - She holds degrees from The George Washington University and Columbia Law School - She also held the role of Chief of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit, directing investigations and prosecutions against corporations and individuals involved in opioid diversion and healthcare fraud - Her work has had a lasting impact on New Jersey’s regulatory and legal landscape, particularly in areas of consumer protection, data privacy, and corporate accountability Cari Fais’ appointment as a U.S. Magistrate Judge marks a continuation of her distinguished career in public service and the federal judiciary, reflecting her extensive experience in law enforcement, litigation, and consumer advocacy ## 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.