--- title: "F. Dennis Saylor IV | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/f-dennis-saylor-iv" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # F. Dennis Saylor IV U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts - State: Massachusetts - 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 - Judge, District Court, D. Massachusetts, 2004-present - received his commission the following day Saylor held the role of chief judge of the District of Massachusetts from January 1, 2020, to July 1, 2025, and assumed senior status on July 31, 2025 - Saylor also held the role of a judge on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 2011 to 2018, a court responsible for overseeing requests for surveillance warrants against foreign spies inside the United States - He also worked as special counsel and chief of staff to Robert Mueller, then Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, from 1990 to 1993 - Between these periods, he held the role of an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Massachusetts from 1987 to 1990 - Highly experienced federal judge with a distinguished career spanning private practice, federal prosecution, and service on both the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ### Education - Harvard University — J.D. (1981) - Harvard Law School in — J.D. (1981) - Northwestern University in — B.S. (1977) ### Additional information - Private practice, Boston, MA, 1993-2004 - Saylor began his legal career in private practice at Goodwin Procter in Boston from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1993 to 2004. - On July 30, 2003, Saylor was nominated by President George W. Bush to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, filling the seat vacated by Robert E. Keeton. - Private practice, Boston, MA, 1981-1987 - Frank Dennis Saylor IV was born in 1955 in Royal Oak, Michigan. - Date of birth: 1955-01-01 - Over his career, Saylor has been assigned thousands of district-court cases. - During his time at Goodwin Procter, he represented companies and executives in criminal defense matters, including investigations involving Circor International and KF Industries - His rulings cover a wide range of civil and criminal matters, reflecting his extensive experience on the federal bench - His tenure as chief judge and subsequent senior status highlight his leadership and long-standing contributions to the federal judiciary - Birth place: Royal Oak, MI ## 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/1392111) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392111) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392111) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2850/f-dennis-saylor-iv/) - [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/2850/f-dennis-saylor-iv/) - [Wikidata: F. Dennis Saylor IV](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5423868) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/f-dennis-saylor-iv", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/f-dennis-saylor-iv", "name": "F. Dennis Saylor IV | KnowJudges", "description": "F. Dennis Saylor IV, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 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/f-dennis-saylor-iv#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/f-dennis-saylor-iv#judge", "name": "F. 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Dennis Saylor IV", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/f-dennis-saylor-iv" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 193 | 11 | 3.2 | 11 | | 2y | 339 | 69 | 3 | 69 | | 5y | 765 | 446 | 5.1 | 446 | | 10y | 2099 | 1773 | 8 | 1773 | 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.