--- title: "Jamal Norman Whitehead | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jamal-norman-whitehead" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Jamal Norman Whitehead U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington - State: Washington - 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 - Jamal N. Whitehead is a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Washington, appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023 - 2016–2023: Shareholder at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, litigating civil cases in state and federal courts - Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Washington, 2014-2016 ### Education - Seattle University School of Law — J.D. (2007) - University of Washington — political science — B.A. (2004) ### Additional information - The Senate confirmed him on February 28, 2023, and he was commissioned on March 14, 2023. - Sworn in on April 4, 2023. - Private practice, Seattle, Washington, 2007-2010, 2016-2023 - On July 13, 2022, President Biden nominated Whitehead to replace Richard A. Jones, who took senior status in 2022. - U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Seattle, Washington, 2010-2014; trial attorney, 2010; senior trial attorney, 2011-2014 - 2010–2014: Senior trial attorney, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Seattle. - 2007–2010: Attorney at Garvey Schubert Barer in Seattle. - Date of birth: 1979 - Also a past president of the Loren Miller Bar Association, Washington’s largest minority bar. - As a U.S. District Judge, Whitehead presides over federal cases in the Western District of Washington, including civil, criminal, and administrative matters. - His chambers are located at 700 Stewart Street, Suite 16128, Seattle, WA. - Birth place: Turnersville ## 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/13328851) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13328851) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13328851) - [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) - [Judge Jamal Norman Whitehead](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13328851) - [Wikidata: Jamal Whitehead](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113124286) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jamal-norman-whitehead", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jamal-norman-whitehead", "name": "Jamal Norman Whitehead | KnowJudges", "description": "Jamal Norman Whitehead, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. 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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.