--- title: "David Ogden Nuffer | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-ogden-nuffer" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # David Ogden Nuffer 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 - U.S. District Judge, District of Utah (March 23, 2012–present) Appointed to replace Dale A. Kimball, who took senior status in 2009 Chief Judge of the District of Utah (2014–2018) Assumed senior status April 2, 2022 - Since 2019, has resided in St. George, Utah, becoming the first Utah district judge to live off the Wasatch Front - Judge, District Court, D. Utah, 2012-present - Adjunct professor, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, 2001-present - Adjunct professor at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School (2001–2016) - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and confirmed by the Senate 96–2 - U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 1995-2012 - U.S. Magistrate Judge, District of Utah (1995–2012; part-time 1995–2002, full-time 2003) - As a Senior Judge, Nuffer continues to hear cases in the District of Utah, with chambers in St. George ### Education - B.A. (cum laude), Humanities, Brigham Young University, 1975 J.D. (cum laude), J. Reuben Clark Law School, BYU, 1978 - Duke University School of Law ### Additional information - Private practice, St. George, UT, 1978-2002 - Private practice attorney in St. George, Utah (1978–2002) - President of the Utah State Bar (2000–2001) - Born: 1952, Portland, Oregon - Date of birth: 1952-01-01 - Nuffer has participated in numerous international judicial education programs, including in the Czech Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, and Bahrain - focusing on judicial ethics, legal education, and international law. ## 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/1393926) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393926) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393926) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2436/david-ogden-nuffer/) - [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/2436/david-ogden-nuffer/) - [Wikidata: David Nuffer](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5238103) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-ogden-nuffer", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-ogden-nuffer", "name": "David Ogden Nuffer | KnowJudges", "description": "David Ogden Nuffer, U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. 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Reuben Clark Law School" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Utah", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/utah" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Ogden Nuffer", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-ogden-nuffer" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 33 | 12 | 0.3 | 12 | | 2y | 92 | 35 | 0.7 | 35 | | 5y | 283 | 200 | 5.3 | 200 | | 10y | 966 | 876 | 9.3 | 876 | 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.