--- title: "Charles Joseph Williams | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-joseph-williams" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Charles Joseph Williams U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa · Chief U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa - State: Iowa - Role: Chief U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - U.S. District Judge, N.D. Iowa (2018–present) - Adjunct professor, University of South Dakota Law School, 2016-present - Adjunct professor, University of Iowa College of Law, 2001-present - Charles Joseph “C.J.” Williams is the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, appointed by President Donald J. Trump and commissioned on September 10, 2018 - Appointed full-time U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Iowa effective February 16, 2016 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Iowa, 1997-2016 - Special assistant U.S. attorney (on detail), Eastern District of Virginia, 1991-1992 - Trial attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1990-1992 - Law Clerk, District Court, N.D. Iowa, 1988-1990 ### Education - University of Missouri-Kansas City — LL.M. (1997) - University of Iowa — J.D. (1988) - University of Iowa — B.A. (1985) - University of Missouri School of Law ### Additional information - Chief Judge of N.D. Iowa since February 12, 2024 - Chief Magistrate Judge (2017–2018) - Magistrate, District Court, N.D. Iowa, 2016-2018 - U.S. Magistrate Judge, N.D. Iowa (2016–2018) - Instructor, North Iowa Area Community College, 2008-2010 - Private practice, Kansas City, MO, 1992-1997 - Date of birth: 1963-01-01 - Williams has handled over 500 cases in his career, with recent caseloads including civil, criminal, and administrative matters. - Birth place: Cedar Rapids, IA ## 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/5197991) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5197991) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5197991) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8650/charles-joseph-williams/) - [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/8650/charles-joseph-williams/) - [Wikidata: C. J. Williams](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48817919) - [Northern District of Iowa appointment order](https://www.iand.uscourts.gov/sites/iand/files/Public%20Administrative%20Orders%202025_12_17.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8650/charles-joseph-williams/) - [Wikidata: C. J. Williams](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48817919) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-joseph-williams", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-joseph-williams", "name": "Charles Joseph Williams | KnowJudges", "description": "Charles Joseph Williams, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. 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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.