--- title: "Jerry Wayne Blackwell | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jerry-wayne-blackwell" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Jerry Wayne Blackwell U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota - State: Minnesota - 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 - American lawyer and U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022 - Also a special assistant state attorney general for the prosecution in the Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd, delivering both the opening statement and closing argument ### Education - University of North Carolina School of Law in — J.D. (1987) - University of North Carolina — B.A. (1984) ### Additional information - Nominated: June 15, 2022, by President Biden to replace Judge Susan Richard Nelson - Co‐founder of Blackwell Burke in Minneapolis (2006–2022) - Private practice, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1987-2022 - Born 1962 in Mooresville, North Carolina. - Date of birth: 1962 - Notably, he secured a posthumous pardon for Max Mason, a man falsely convicted in 1920 - Known for his prosecutorial work in high-profile cases, especially the George Floyd trial - As U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota, Blackwell presides over federal cases in Minnesota. - Birth place: Mooresville ## 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/12916001) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12916001) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12916001) - [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 Jerry Wayne Blackwell](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12916001) - [Wikidata: Jerry W. Blackwell](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112584131) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jerry-wayne-blackwell", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jerry-wayne-blackwell", "name": "Jerry Wayne Blackwell | KnowJudges", "description": "Jerry Wayne Blackwell, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-03", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jerry-wayne-blackwell#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jerry-wayne-blackwell#judge", "name": "Jerry Wayne Blackwell", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jerry-wayne-blackwell", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/12916001" ], "birthDate": "1962", "birthPlace": "Mooresville", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of North Carolina" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of North Carolina School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Minnesota", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/minnesota" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jerry Wayne Blackwell", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jerry-wayne-blackwell" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 322 | 99 | 0.2 | 99 | | 2y | 588 | 186 | 0.7 | 186 | | 5y | 1052 | 560 | 3 | 560 | | 10y | 1052 | 560 | 3 | 560 | 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.