--- title: "Clark Waddoups | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/clark-waddoups" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Clark Waddoups U.S. District Court for the District of Utah · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Utah - State: Utah - 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 - Judge, District Court, D. Utah, 2008-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah, appointed in 2008 by President George W. Bush and elevated to senior status in 2019 - Law clerk, Hon. J. Clifford Wallace, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1973-1974 - He held the role of a law clerk to Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the Ninth Circuit (1973–1974) and practiced in California and Salt Lake City - As Senior Judge, Waddoups continues to hear cases in the District of Utah ### Education - S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in — J.D. (1973) - Brigham Young University in — B.A. (1970) ### Additional information - Senior status: January 31, 2019 - In summary: Judge Clark Waddoups is a veteran federal judge with a background in high-profile commercial litigation, notable for his 2013 polygamy statute ruling and a long record of federal judicial service in Utah. - Nominated: April 29, 2008, by President George W. Bush - Commissioned: October 21, 2008 - Confirmed: September 26, 2008, by the U.S. Senate (voice vote) - Private practice, Salt Lake City, UT, 1981-2008 - Private practice, California, 1974-1981 - Clark Waddoups was born April 21, 1946 in Arco, Idaho. - Date of birth: 1946-01-01 - Waddoups succeeded Paul G. Cassell and was later succeeded by David Barlow. - Before joining the judiciary, he was a trial lawyer specializing in commercial litigation, including antitrust, securities, labor, banking, and environmental cases. - Before his judicial appointment, Waddoups was a registered lobbyist in Utah, served on the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence, and was past president of the A. Sherman Christensen American Inn of Court. - His chambers are located in Salt Lake City, and his official contact is utdecf_waddoups@. - Birth place: Arco, ID ## 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/1392771) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392771) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392771) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3334/clark-waddoups/) - [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/3334/clark-waddoups/) - [Wikidata: Clark Waddoups](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5127424) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/clark-waddoups", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/clark-waddoups", "name": "Clark Waddoups | KnowJudges", "description": "Clark Waddoups, U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. 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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.