--- title: "Kimberly A. Swank | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kimberly-a-swank-north-carolina-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Kimberly A. Swank U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina - State: North Carolina - 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 - Law Clerk, U.S. District Court - Eastern District of North Carolina, 2007–2013 (to Malcolm J. Howard) - Death Penalty Law Clerk, U.S. District Court - Eastern District of North Carolina, 2004–2007 - Law Clerk, North Carolina Supreme Court, 1991–1992 (to Louise B. Meyer) - Office of Chief Counsel, U.S. Secret Service ### Education ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. North Carolina, 2013-present - Judge Swank’s work includes handling a wide range of federal matters, with a documented record of over 200 assigned cases and more than 1,000 referred matters since 2013. - Former member and Chair of the Magistrate Judge Advisory Group (2019–2023) - Greenville, NC (1995–2004) — civil, appellate, and capital habeas litigation (Private Practice). - J.D. — Campbell Univ. — 1991 - B.A. — East Carolina Univ. — 1988 - 14‐JP‐1‐KS, 14‐JP‐2‐KS, 14‐JP‐3‐KS (Practice Preferences). ## 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=30) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=30) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=30) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9359/kimberly-a-swank/) - [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/9359/kimberly-a-swank/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Kimberly A. Swank](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9359/kimberly-a-swank/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Kimberly A. Swank](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/kimberly-a-swank-north-carolina-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kimberly-a-swank-north-carolina-us-magistrate", "name": "Kimberly A. Swank | KnowJudges", "description": "Kimberly A. Swank, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North 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-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.