--- title: "David Gregory Kays | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-gregory-kays" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # David Gregory Kays U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri - State: Missouri - Role: 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 - Judge, District Court, W.D. Missouri, 2008-present - U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Missouri, appointed in 2008, who will take senior status in May 2027 after a 19-year judicial career - Presiding judge, Twenty-sixth Judicial Circuit, Missouri (2005–2008) - Judge, Circuit Court of Missouri, Twenty-Sixth Judicial Circuit, 1995-2008 - assocate circuit judge, 1995-2004 - 1995–2004: Associate circuit judge, Laclede County - Prosecutor, Laclede County, MO, 1991-1995 - 1991–1995: Prosecuting attorney, Laclede County - Assistant prosecutor, Laclede County, MO, 1988-1991 - 1989: Assistant public defender, Office of the Special Public Defender, Springfield, MO ### Education - University of Arkansas School of Law — J.D. (1987) - Missouri State University ### Additional information - U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri since June 19, 2008, after being nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate. - Assistant public defender, Springfield, MO, 1989-present - On May 21, 2026, he announced he would take senior status in May 2027, a semi-retired role where he will handle fewer cases but remain active in the court - Chief Judge from January 3, 2014, to January 2, 2019. - Known for fair but firm rulings in complex cases, including a 2009 bank robbery case where he sentenced the defendant to five years in federal prison. - Adjunct faculty, Drury University, 1991-2004 - chief assistant prosecutor, 1989-1991 - Private practice, Missouri, 1988-1989 - Date of birth: 1962-01-01 - His background in both prosecution and defense work has informed his judicial approach - Birth place: Kansas City, MO ## 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/1392716) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392716) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392716) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1716/david-gregory-kays/) - [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/1716/david-gregory-kays/) - [Wikidata: David Gregory Kays](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5234390) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-gregory-kays", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-gregory-kays", "name": "David Gregory Kays | KnowJudges", "description": "David Gregory Kays, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. 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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.