--- title: "James S. Gwin | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-s-gwin" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # James S. Gwin U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio - State: Ohio - 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, N.D. Ohio, 1997-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, appointed in 1997 and elevated to senior status in 2021 - 1997–2021: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, appointed by President Bill Clinton, confirmed by the Senate on November 5, 1997, and commissioned November 7, 1997 - Judge, Stark County Ohio Court of Common Pleas, 1989-1997 - As a senior judge, he continues to preside over cases and oversee court procedures in the Northern District of Ohio ### Education - Kenyon College — B.A. (1976) - University of Akron ### Additional information - Since January 31, 2021: Senior Judge; inactive senior status since September 20, 2024 - Private practice, Canton, OH, 1979-1989 - Date of birth: 1954-01-01 - Has served in both state and federal judicial roles, with a career spanning over four decades - St. Thomas Aquinas High School - Birth place: Canton, OH ## 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/1390491) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390491) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390491) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1311/james-s-gwin/) - [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/1311/james-s-gwin/) - [Wikidata: James S. Gwin](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6142638) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-s-gwin", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-s-gwin", "name": "James S. Gwin | KnowJudges", "description": "James S. Gwin, U.S. District Court for the Northern 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/james-s-gwin#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-s-gwin#judge", "name": "James S. 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