--- title: "Joseph Dawson III | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-dawson-iii" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Joseph Dawson III U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina ยท Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina - State: South Carolina - 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 - His career highlights include service as a Judge Advocate General, private practice attorney, Charleston County Attorney, and now a federal judge confirmed in 2020, with a notable focus on civil litigation and public service oversight - On October 1, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Dawson to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, filling the seat vacated by Judge Terry L. Wooten - From 2001 to 2020, he operated his own law practice - Charleston County, South Carolina, 1997-2020; assistant county attorney, 1997-2000; deputy county attorney, 2000-2001; county attorney, 2001-2020 - Dawson held the role of a Judge Advocate General for the South Carolina Army National Guard from 1999 to 2009 and continued in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2009, concluding his military service as a captain and receiving multiple awards - He also held the role of County Attorney for Charleston County, managing legal matters for the county and its officials ### Education - University of South Carolina School of Law in โ€” J.D. (1997) ### Additional information - Board of Law Examiners, South Carolina Judicial Department, 2019-2020 - Private practice, North Charleston, South Carolina (part-time), 2001-2020 - South Carolina Army National Guard captain, JAG Corps, 1999-2009 - Bachelor of Arts from The Citadel in 1991 - Joseph Dawson III was born in 1970 in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. - Date of birth: 1970 - focusing on civil litigation and strategic advice for small businesses. - Judge Joseph Dawson III combines extensive military, legal, and public service experience with his role on the federal bench. - Birth place: Fort Jackson ## 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/9354856) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/9354856) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/9354856) - [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 Joseph Dawson III](https://www.fjc.gov/node/9354856) - [Wikidata: Joseph Dawson III](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q99800784) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-dawson-iii", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-dawson-iii", "name": "Joseph Dawson III | KnowJudges", "description": "Joseph Dawson III, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. 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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) โ€” 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.