--- title: "John D. Bates | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-d-bates" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # John D. Bates U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia - State: District of Columbia - 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 - Director, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, 2013-present - Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (2013–2015) - Judge, District Court, District of Columbia, 2001-2014 - Presiding Judge of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (2009–2013) and Judge on the same court (2006–2013) - He held the role of an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1980 to 1987 and as Chief of the Civil Division from 1987 to 1997 - Began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Roszel C. Thomsen of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (1976–1977) and then worked as an associate at Steptoe & Johnson (1977–1980) ### Education - University of Maryland School of Law in — J.D. (1976) - University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law ### Additional information - In 2025, Judge Bates received the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, the most prestigious honor for an Article III judge, recognizing his exceptional contributions to the administration of justice, the rule of law, and public service. - Chair of the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure (2020–2025) He has also served on the Advisory Committee for Procedures of the D.C. Circuit, the Civil Justice Reform Committee, and held leadership positions. - Chair of the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules (2015–2020) - He assumed senior status on October 12, 2014. - received his commission on December 14, 2001. - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1998-2001 - In 1998, he joined Miller & Chevalier in Washington, D.C., as Chair of the Government Contracts/. - During this period, he also served as Deputy Independent Counsel for the Whitewater investigation under Kenneth Starr (1995–1997). - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1977-1980 - U.S. Army first lieutenant, 1968-1971 - Between 1968 and 1971, he held the role of a First Lieutenant in the United States Army, including a tour. - John Deacon Bates was born on October 11, 1946, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. - Date of birth: 1946-01-01 - Pingry School - The award ceremony was presided over by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and attended by five Associate Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court United States Courts. - Birth place: Elizabeth, NJ ## 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/1391381) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391381) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391381) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/201/john-d-bates/) - [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/201/john-d-bates/) - [Wikidata: John D. Bates](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6228098) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-d-bates", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-d-bates", "name": "John D. Bates | KnowJudges", "description": "John D. Bates, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 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-d-bates#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-d-bates#judge", "name": "John D. 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Bates", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-d-bates" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 50 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 111 | 23 | 3.9 | 23 | | 5y | 368 | 261 | 5 | 261 | | 10y | 745 | 632 | 6.6 | 632 | 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.