--- title: "John James McConnell Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-j-mcconnell-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # John James McConnell Jr. U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island · Chief Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island - State: Rhode Island - Role: Chief Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, D. Rhode Island, 2011-present - McConnell was first nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island by President Barack Obama on March 10, 2010, to fill the seat vacated by Judge Ernest C. Torres - McConnell began his legal career as a law clerk for Rhode Island Supreme Court Associate Justice Donald F. Shea from 1983 to 1984 - Former Rhode Island Supreme Court law clerk and Providence private practitioner ### Education - Case Western Reserve University School of Law — bio-0135fdd5c2b1; user_supplied_research — J.D. (1983) - Brown University — bio-0135fdd5c2b1; user_supplied_research — B.A. (1980) ### Additional information - He became Chief Judge on December 1, 2019 - received his commission on May 6, 2011. - Commissioned May 6, 2011, after nomination by President Barack Obama and Senate confirmation May 4, 2011. - Private practice, Providence, RI, 1984-2011 - He then worked in private practice in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1984 to 2011, including as a partner and director of the environmental practice group at Motley Rice, where he handled cases involving personal injury, property damage, and economic loss due to environmental negligence. - He played a key role in negotiating a $264 billion, 46-state tobacco settlement in the late 1990s - John James McConnell Jr. was born in 1958 in Providence, Rhode Island. - Date of birth: 1958-01-01 - He attended Bishop Hendricken High School - His career spans private practice, major environmental and public interest litigation, and over a decade on the federal bench, including his current role as Chief Judge - They have a daughter, Catherine, who previously worked for the U.S. Department of Education. - McConnell has been active in Rhode Island politics, serving as treasurer of the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee for 14 years and supporting local campaigns and organizations - Birth place: Providence, RI ## 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 ### presentation procedure Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: The parties, counsel, witnesses, and jurors (if applicable) will not be physically present in the courtroom. All phases of the trial from empanelment to evidence presentation to jury deliberations will occur by video. Attorneys should note that the ZoomGov platform is a secure system that is separate from the commercial or free version of Zoom… [Video%20Trial%20Handbook%20for%20Attorneys.pdf](https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/sites/rid/files/documents/attorney/Video%20Trial%20Handbook%20for%20Attorneys.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: Requirements for Electronic Exhibit File Types . All electronic evidence should be provided using the following formats: . Documents: .pdf . [Exhibits | District of Rhode Island | United States District Court](https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/node/1275) 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/1393691) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393691) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393691) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2115/john-james-mcconnell-jr/) - [Video%20Trial%20Handbook%20for%20Attorneys.pdf](https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/sites/rid/files/documents/attorney/Video%20Trial%20Handbook%20for%20Attorneys.pdf) - [Exhibits | District of Rhode Island | United States District Court](https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/node/1275) - [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/2115/john-james-mcconnell-jr/) - [Wikidata: John J. McConnell, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6241158) - [Official biography](https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/judges/john-j-mcconnell-jr) - [Official current district judges](https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/our-judges) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2115/john-james-mcconnell-jr/) - [Wikidata: John J. McConnell, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6241158) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-j-mcconnell-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-j-mcconnell-jr", "name": "John James McConnell Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "John James McConnell Jr., U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. 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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-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.