--- title: "James Donald Peterson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-d-peterson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # James Donald Peterson U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin - State: Wisconsin - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - American federal judge who has served on the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin since May 12, 2014 - Judge, District Court, W.D. Wisconsin, 2014-present - Law clerk, Hon. David G. Deininger, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, 1998-1999 - Assistant professor, Department of Film, Television and Theatre, University of Notre Dame, 1986-1993 ### Education - B.S. (1979), M.A. (1984), Ph.D. (1986) – University of Wisconsin–Madison J.D. (1998) – University of Wisconsin Law School ### Additional information - Federal Judge (2014–present), Chief Judge (2017–present) - He became Chief Judge on April 26, 2017. - Private practice, Madison, WI, 1999-2014 - Lecturer, Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin, 1994-1995 - Born: August 18, 1957, Lake Charles, Louisiana. - Date of birth: 1957-01-01 - Birth place: Lake Charles, LA ## 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 ### courtroom technology Scope: judge specific Judge-specific source Evidence excerpt: IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN IN RE: STANDING ORDER GOVERNING THE USE ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUBMISSION OF ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE ORDER 434 1. A party may submit electronic evidence to the court by sharing the evidence with the court via Box for Federal Government — the preferred method — or… [Attachments_PTC_JDP.pdf](https://www.wiwd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/Attachments_PTC_JDP.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### 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/1394491) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394491) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394491) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2549/james-donald-peterson/) - [Attachments_PTC_JDP.pdf](https://www.wiwd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/Attachments_PTC_JDP.pdf) - [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/2549/james-donald-peterson/) - [Wikidata: James D. Peterson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16734457) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-d-peterson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-d-peterson", "name": "James Donald Peterson | KnowJudges", "description": "James Donald Peterson, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. 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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.