--- title: "Joseph S. Van Bokkelen | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-s-van-bokkelen" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Joseph S. Van Bokkelen U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana - State: Indiana - 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, N.D. Indiana, 2007-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007 and elevated to senior status in 2017 - U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, 2001-2007 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Indiana, 1972-1975 - Assistant attorney general, State of Indiana, 1971-1972 - Deputy attorney general, State of Indiana, 1969-1970 - Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana: Nominated Jan ### Education - Indiana University Maurer School of Law ### Additional information - 29, 2017 Took inactive senior status July 7, 2025 - 9, 2007; confirmed June 28, 2007 (voice vote) Commissioned July 18, 2007 Assumed senior status Sept. - Private practice, Indiana, 1975-2001 - Date of birth: 1943-01-01 - Recognized in Marquis Who’s Who as a reputable federal judge - Mooresville High School - Birth place: Chicago, IL ## 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/1392586) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392586) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392586) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3295/joseph-s-van-bokkelen/) - [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/3295/joseph-s-van-bokkelen/) - [Wikidata: Joseph S. Van Bokkelen](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6286777) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-s-van-bokkelen", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-s-van-bokkelen", "name": "Joseph S. Van Bokkelen | KnowJudges", "description": "Joseph S. Van Bokkelen, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-s-van-bokkelen#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-s-van-bokkelen#judge", "name": "Joseph S. 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Van Bokkelen", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-s-van-bokkelen" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 25 | 25 | 2.2 | 25 | | 5y | 247 | 247 | 6 | 247 | | 10y | 812 | 812 | 8.7 | 812 | 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.