--- title: "Kelly F. Pate | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kelly-f-pate-alabama-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Kelly F. Pate U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama - State: Alabama - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Private Practice: Over 15 years in civil litigation; partner at Balch & Bingham in Birmingham, Alabama, specializing in labor and employment law since 2005 - Kelly Fitzgerald Pate is a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Alabama, appointed September 8, 2020, with a background in civil litigation, labor and employment law, and appellate clerkship - Law Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2004–2005 (to Joel F. Dubina) - Leadership: Director, Middle District of Alabama Pro Se Assistance Program; completed Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum ### Education - Communications and Information Sciences, cum laude — The University of Alabama — 2004 - magna cum laude — Cumberland University — 2001 ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, M.D. Alabama, 2020-present - Appointed: September 8, 2020, by the judges of the Middle District of Alabama - Practitioner, Balch and Bingham, 2005–2020 - Clerkship: Hon. Joel F. Dubina, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit - U.S. Courts Judicial Milestones: Kelly F. Pate United States Courts - For case-related matters, the court’s official site provides scheduling, contact, and procedural information. - Courtroom: 5A - Chambers email: patechambers@ - Court website: Kelly Fitzgerald Pate — United States District Court - Professional Recognition: AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell ## 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=120) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=120) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=120) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14479/kelly-fitzgerald-pate/) - [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/14479/kelly-fitzgerald-pate/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Kelly Fitzgerald Pate](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14479/kelly-fitzgerald-pate/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Kelly Fitzgerald Pate](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kelly-f-pate-alabama-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kelly-f-pate-alabama-us-magistrate", "name": "Kelly F. 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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.