--- title: "Donald Douglas Alsop | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-douglas-alsop" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Donald Douglas Alsop U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota - State: Minnesota - 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 - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, having assumed senior status on August 28, 1992 - Chief Judge: held the role of Chief Judge of the District of Minnesota from 1985 to 1992 - Judge, District Court, D. Minnesota, 1974-1992 - Service: Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota from December 20, 1974, to August 28, 1992 - The court’s 20th district judge and took the oath of office on January 17, 1975 - He clerked for Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Thomas F. Gallagher (1951–1952) before practicing law in St. Paul (1952–1954) and New Ulm, Minnesota (1954–1974) - Law clerk, Hon. Thomas Gallagher, Minnesota Supreme Court, 1951-1952 ### Education - Bachelor of Science in Law from the University of Minnesota in 1950 and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1952. ### Additional information - Weaver (1979) among his most cited - Private practice, New Ulm, MN, 1954-1975 - Private practice, St. Paul, MN, 1952-1954 - Alsop was born in Duluth, Minnesota, and held the role of a U.S. Army private first class from 1945 to 1946. - Born August 28, 1927, Duluth, Minnesota. - Date of birth: 1927-01-01 - Alsop’s appointment came amid the Watergate scandal - Nixon nominated him the day before resigning, and Ford completed the process. - While retired from active case handling, Alsop remains a senior judge and is recognized for his long service and contributions to the federal judiciary - Birth place: Duluth, MN ## 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/1377141) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377141) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377141) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/88/donald-douglas-alsop/) - [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/88/donald-douglas-alsop/) - [Wikidata: Donald D. Alsop](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5294206) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-douglas-alsop", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-douglas-alsop", "name": "Donald Douglas Alsop | KnowJudges", "description": "Donald Douglas Alsop, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-douglas-alsop#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-douglas-alsop#judge", "name": "Donald Douglas Alsop", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-douglas-alsop", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377141", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/88/donald-douglas-alsop/" ], "birthDate": "1927", "birthPlace": "Duluth, MN", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Minnesota Law School" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Minnesota", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/minnesota" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Donald Douglas Alsop", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/donald-douglas-alsop" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 5y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 10y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | 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.