--- title: "David Bruce Barlow | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-bruce-barlow" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # David Bruce Barlow 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: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - On September 24, 2026, Judge Barlow issued a preliminary injunction blocking a new Utah law requiring age verification for online content, even when users employ VPNs - Federal judge serving on the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2020 and confirmed by the Senate 88–4 - 2018–2019: Partner at Dorsey & Whitney, Utah - U.S. attorney for the District of Utah, 2011-2014 - 1998–2000: Associate at Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP - Current role: Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Utah ### Education - Yale Law School — J.D. (1998) - Brigham Young University — B.A. (1995) ### Additional information - Commissioned: January 6, 2020 - Appointed: June 12, 2019, to replace Judge Clark Waddoups - Confirmed: December 4, 2019, by the Senate (88–4) - Private practice, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2018-2019 - Vice president, compliance, Walmart, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2017-2018 - 2017–2018: Vice President for Compliance, Walmart’s Health and Wellness businesses - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 2014-2017 - 2014–2017: Partner at Sidley Austin - 2011: General counsel and chief Judiciary Committee counsel to U.S. Senator Mike Lee - 2000–2010: Associate (2000–2006) and Partner (2006–2010) at Sidley Austin - Private practice, Chicago, Illinois, 1998-2010 - Born: 1971, Provo, Utah - General counsel and chief counsel, judiciary, U.S. Sen. - The ruling, in a case brought by Aylo (Pornhub’s parent company), found the provision likely violated the Constitution’s dormant Commerce Clause by imposing undue burdens on interstate commerce. ## 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/7465661) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7465661) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7465661) - [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) - [Barlow, David Bruce](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7465661) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-bruce-barlow", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-bruce-barlow", "name": "David Bruce Barlow | KnowJudges", "description": "David Bruce Barlow, 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.