--- title: "John E. Ott | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-e-ott-9017" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # John E. Ott U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama · Magistrate ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama - State: Alabama - Role: Magistrate - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - U.S. Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, appointed in 1998 to an eight‐year renewable term - Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Alabama for 15 years - Law clerk to U.S. Magistrates in the Northern District of Alabama - Prosecutor in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, later serving as Deputy Chief and Chief of the Criminal Division and Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney - Official court page (historical): Northern District of Alabama – Chief Magistrate Judge John E. Ott Northern District of Alabama ### Education - Cumberland School of Law in — J.D. (1981) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, N.D. Alabama, 1998-present - Served in this role for nearly two decades before retiring in 2023 ezel.ai. - Retired from active judicial duties in 2023 ezel.ai. - Motion to dismiss: Expected movants to cite authority and applied joinder and vicarious liability doctrines functionally, not formally ezel.ai. - Summary judgment: Strictly applied Rule 56 standards, requiring non‐movants to go beyond pleadings with specific evidence ezel.ai. - His profile remains in the court’s historical records, but he no longer hears cases. - Birth place: Macon, Georgia, one of seven children ## 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 ### media recording photography broadcasting Scope: statewide Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4 permits televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings only as provided by Alabama judicial ethics canons, law, or another court rule. Evidence excerpt: The taking of television pictures or other photographs in or of the courtroom during the progress of judicial proceedings or the radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings may be permitted as provided in Canon 3(A)(7) and (7B), Canons of Judicial Ethics, promulgated by the Alabama Supreme Court, or as otherwise may be permitted by law or other rule of court. [Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings](https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr9_4.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9017/john-e-ott/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9017/john-e-ott/) - [U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9017/john-e-ott/) - [Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.4: Televising, photographing, or radio broadcasting of judicial proceedings](https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr9_4.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9017/john-e-ott/) - [Judge John Ott - PAQC](https://paqcga.gov/organization/judge-john-ott#:~:text=Ott%20first%20joined%20the%20office,University%20of%20Georgia%20in%201976.) - [Chief Magistrate Judge John Ott Receives Judicial Award of Merit | Northern District of Alabama | United States District Court](https://www.alnd.uscourts.gov/news/chief-magistrate-judge-john-ott-receives-judicial-award-merit) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-e-ott-9017", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-e-ott-9017", "name": "John E. 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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.