--- title: "John A. Woodcock Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-a-woodcock-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # John A. Woodcock Jr. U.S. District Court for the District of Maine · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Maine - State: Maine - 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, D. Maine, 2003-present - U.S. District Judge (2003–2017) – Nominated March 27, 2003; confirmed June 12, 2003; commissioned June 16, 2003 - Assistant district attorney (part-time), State of Maine, 1977-1978 - John Alden Woodcock Jr. is a long‐serving federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine ### Education - Bowdoin College — B.A. (1972) - University of Maine School of Law ### Additional information - Senior Judge (2017–present) - He became a senior judge in 2017 after serving as chief judge from 2009 to 2015 - Private practice, Maine, 1976-2003 - Born July 6, 1950, in Bangor, Maine. - Date of birth: 1950-01-01 - London School of Economics and Political Science - Birth place: Bangor, ME ## 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: . The EEP also allows attorneys to connect a laptop for presentation of evidence using PowerPoint or other presentation software. Attorneys MUST provide their own technical assistance in preparing the laptop evidence presentation. [Electronic Evidence Presenter | District of Maine | United States District Court](https://www.med.uscourts.gov/electronic-evidence-presenter) 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/1391881) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391881) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391881) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3543/john-a-woodcock-jr/) - [Electronic Evidence Presenter | District of Maine | United States District Court](https://www.med.uscourts.gov/electronic-evidence-presenter) - [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/3543/john-a-woodcock-jr/) - [Wikidata: John A. Woodcock Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6218002) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-a-woodcock-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-a-woodcock-jr", "name": "John A. Woodcock Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "John A. Woodcock Jr., U.S. District Court for the District of Maine. 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/john-a-woodcock-jr#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-a-woodcock-jr#judge", "name": "John A. 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Woodcock Jr.", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-a-woodcock-jr" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 169 | 33 | 0.5 | 33 | | 2y | 276 | 57 | 1.5 | 57 | | 5y | 590 | 290 | 5 | 290 | | 10y | 1028 | 726 | 7.2 | 726 | 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.