---
title: "James Keith Singleton Jr. | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-k-singleton-jr"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# James Keith Singleton Jr.

U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska · U.S. District Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska
- State: Alaska
- Role: U.S. District Judge
- Service status: senior
- Last verified: 2026-10-02

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Roles: Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska (1990–2005) Chief Judge (1995–2002) Senior Judge since January 27, 2005
- State judicial service: Judge, Alaska Superior Court (1970–1980) Judge, Alaska Court of Appeals (1980–1990)
- Private practice: Licensed in Alaska in 1963, Singleton practiced law in Anchorage until 1970

### Education

- Singleton obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1961, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Boalt Hall School of Law, UC Berkeley, in 1964.

### Additional information

- Appointment: Nominated by President George H. W. Bush on January 24, 1990, to replace.
- Confirmation: Senate confirmed by voice vote on May 11, 1990; commission issued May 14, 1990.
- Anchorage, Alaska; 1965; 1970
- Born January 27, 1939, Oakland, California.
- Succeeded in his senior role by other judges, but remains a notable figure in Alaska’s legal history.
- He was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity during his undergraduate studies.
- Singleton is recognized for his long service in Alaska’s judicial system, both at the state and federal levels, and for his leadership as.

## 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: courtwide

Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge.

Evidence excerpt: DEPS . Some courtrooms in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau utilize a Digital Evidence Presentation System (DEPS) to facilitate the presentation of digital evidence quickly and efficiently. .

[Courtroom Technology | District of Alaska | United States District Court](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/courttech)
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/1387866)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387866)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387866)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2979/james-keith-singleton-jr/)
- [Courtroom Technology | District of Alaska | United States District Court](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/courttech)
- [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)
- [Federal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges](https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/judges.csv)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/contacts)
- [www.courtlistener.com](https://www.courtlistener.com/)
- [www.fjc.gov](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/singleton-james-keith-jr)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/node/40)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/node/55)
- [docs.google.com](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1in6CEh0umt9tQFqElVN8x_lgB-vG26ZBT4eMo0T5DaM/edit)
- [Courtroom Technology | District of Alaska | United States District Court](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/courttech)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/contacts)
- [www.courtlistener.com](https://www.courtlistener.com/)
- [www.fjc.gov](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/singleton-james-keith-jr)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/node/40)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/node/55)
- [docs.google.com](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1in6CEh0umt9tQFqElVN8x_lgB-vG26ZBT4eMo0T5DaM/edit)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/contacts)
- [www.courtlistener.com](https://www.courtlistener.com/)
- [www.fjc.gov](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/singleton-james-keith-jr)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/node/40)
- [www.akd.uscourts.gov](https://www.akd.uscourts.gov/node/55)
- [docs.google.com](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1in6CEh0umt9tQFqElVN8x_lgB-vG26ZBT4eMo0T5DaM/edit)

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## 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 | 1 | 1 | Not available | 1 |
| 10y | 61 | 61 | 1.8 | 61 |

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.
