--- title: "Kai Niambi Scott | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kai-niambi-scott" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Kai Niambi Scott U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania - State: Pennsylvania - 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 - American attorney and judge, currently serving as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023 - 2015–2023: Judge, Criminal Trial Division, Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas - Judge, Criminal Trial Division, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County [Pennsylvania], 2016-2022 - Assistant federal defender, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2004-2015; chief, Trial Unit, 2010-2015 - Law clerk, Hon. David Poorman, Bureau of Workers' Compensation, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, 1996-1998 ### Education - West Virginia University College of Law — J.D. (1995) - Hampton University — B.A. (1991) ### Additional information - In February 2026, Judge Scott was honored at the James B. Parsons Legacy Dinner hosted by the University of Chicago Law School’s Black Law Students Association, recognizing her as a distinguished African American federal jurist and role model - Assistant defender, Defender Association of Philadelphia [Pennsylvania], 1998-2004 - Date of birth: 1970 - Birth place: Philadelphia ## 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/12912491) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12912491) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12912491) - [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 Kai Niambi Scott](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12912491) - [Wikidata: Kai Scott](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113030368) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kai-niambi-scott", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kai-niambi-scott", "name": "Kai Niambi Scott | KnowJudges", "description": "Kai Niambi Scott, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kai-niambi-scott#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kai-niambi-scott#judge", "name": "Kai Niambi Scott", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kai-niambi-scott", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/12912491" ], "birthDate": "1970", "birthPlace": "Philadelphia", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Hampton University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "West Virginia University College of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Pennsylvania", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/pennsylvania" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kai Niambi Scott", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kai-niambi-scott" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 169 | 12 | 0.6 | 12 | | 2y | 369 | 85 | 1.9 | 85 | | 5y | 700 | 356 | 4.5 | 356 | | 10y | 700 | 356 | 4.5 | 356 | 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.