--- title: "Edmund A. Sargus Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edmund-a-sargus-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Edmund A. Sargus Jr. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio - State: Ohio - 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 - Sargus is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, teaching Trial Advocacy and Evidence in Trials since 2005 - Judge, District Court, S.D. Ohio, 1996-present - U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, 1993-1996 - From 1979 to 1993, he also held the role of Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General In 1993, he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio - Growing up in St. Clairsville, Ohio, near the courthouse where his father, Edmund A. Sargus, held the role of a state senator and judge, he was inspired early to pursue law ### Education - Case Western Reserve University School of Law in — J.D. (1978) - Brown University — B.A. (1975) ### Additional information - He held the role of Chief Judge from January 1, 2015, to September 16, 2019 Judge Sargus has presided over significant cases, including Clean Air Act litigation against Ohio utilities, mediating settlements requiring billions in emission controls, and high-profile federal criminal cases involving terrorism and classified information - received his commission on August 1, 1996 - On December 22, 1995, President Bill Clinton nominated Sargus to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, filling the seat vacated by Carl Bernard Rubin. - Private practice, Bellaire and St. Clairsville, OH, 1978-1993 - Sargus began his legal career in private practice in Bellaire and St. Clairsville, Ohio, — 1978–1993. - City councilman, St. Clairsville, OH, 1988-1991 - He held the role of solicitor for several municipalities, including Bellaire, Powhatan Point, and Bethesda, and was a member of the St. Clairsville City Council from 1988 to 1991 - Edmund Albert Sargus Jr. was born on July 2, 1953, in Wheeling, West Virginia - Date of birth: 1953-01-01 - overseeing federal prosecutions in cities such as Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton - He also ruled on Cutter v - He has been active in community programs, including House of Hope, a long-term residential addiction treatment center, and the Restored Citizens program, which mentors individuals exiting federal prison to reduce recidivism He also participates in international judicial programs, hosting judges from around the world and advising on intellectual property law in countries such as Georgia - Birth place: Wheeling, WV ## 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/1387376) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387376) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387376) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2841/edmund-a-sargus-jr/) - [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/2841/edmund-a-sargus-jr/) - [Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387376) - [Wikidata: Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5339228) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edmund-a-sargus-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edmund-a-sargus-jr", "name": "Edmund A. Sargus Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "Edmund A. Sargus Jr., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edmund-a-sargus-jr#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edmund-a-sargus-jr#judge", "name": "Edmund A. 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Sargus Jr.", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edmund-a-sargus-jr" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 387 | 2 | Not available | 2 | | 2y | 838 | 137 | 3.5 | 137 | | 5y | 12601 | 1100 | 6.2 | 1100 | | 10y | 26571 | 2897 | 8.6 | 2897 | 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.