--- title: "Cristal C. Brisco | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cristal-c-brisco" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Cristal C. Brisco U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana - State: Indiana - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Indiana, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2024 and confirmed by the Senate 67–32 - Judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, a position she assumed on January 26, 2024, succeeding Judge Theresa Lazar Springmann - Judge, St. Joseph County [Indiana] Superior Court, Civil Division, 2021-2024 - 2021–2024: Judge, St. Joseph County Superior Court; also served on the Indiana Commercial Court (2022–2024) - Magistrate judge, Indiana Circuit Court, Sixtieth Judicial Circuit, 2018-2021 - 2018–2021: Magistrate judge, St. Joseph County Circuit Court - General counsel, The Corporation of St. Mary's College–Notre Dame, 2017-2018 ### Education - Notre Dame Law School — J.D. (2006) - Valparaiso University — B.A. (2002) ### Additional information - Corporation counsel, South Bend, Indiana, 2013-2017 - Private practice, South Bend, Indiana, 2006-2013 - The first Black woman to sit as a federal judge in northern Indiana. - She has been recognized for her legal expertise and leadership in both state and federal judicial roles ## 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 ### courtroom technology Scope: judge specific Judge-specific source Evidence excerpt: Judge Brisco's courtroom is fully equipped with state of the art technology. The court strongly encourages use of the courtroom technology to allow the trial to run more efficiently and to enhance the presentation of the case to the jury. For example, it is unnecessary to approach a witness to show him a document; the… [Judge Cristal C. Brisco | Northern District of Indiana | United States District Court](https://www.innd.uscourts.gov/content/judge-cristal-c-brisco-0) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### 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/13761456) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456) - [Judge Cristal C. Brisco | Northern District of Indiana | United States District Court](https://www.innd.uscourts.gov/content/judge-cristal-c-brisco-0) - [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 Cristal C. Brisco](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456) - [Wikidata: Cristal C. Brisco](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124353893) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cristal-c-brisco", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cristal-c-brisco", "name": "Cristal C. Brisco | KnowJudges", "description": "Cristal C. 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Brisco", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cristal-c-brisco" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 352 | 30 | 1.2 | 30 | | 2y | 637 | 101 | 1.7 | 101 | | 5y | 746 | 170 | 3 | 170 | | 10y | 746 | 170 | 3 | 170 | 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.