---
title: "Marianne B. Bowler | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marianne-b-bowler-massachusetts-us-magistrate"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Marianne B. Bowler

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- State: Massachusetts
- Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge
- Service status: recalled
- Last verified: 2026-07-29

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, serving from May 7, 1990, until her retirement on May 6, 2022
- Senior Litigation Counsel, U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Massachusetts, 1989–1990
- Senior Litigation Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice, Boston (1989–1990)
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Massachusetts, 1978–1990
- Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Massachusetts, 1988–1989
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Massachusetts - Civil Division, 1978–1988
- Trial Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Massachusetts - Civil Division, 1980–1986
- Trial Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Massachusetts - Civil Division, 1978–1978
- Assistant District Attorney, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 1978–1978
- Deputy Chief Law Clerk, Superior Court, 1977–1978
- Law Clerk, Superior Court of Massachusetts, 1976–1978
- Law Clerk, Superior Court, 1976–1977
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated there was nothing unusual about her conduct
- U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire
- Appointed by the judges of the District of Massachusetts, Bowler held the position of a magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

### Education

- Suffolk Law School — J.D. (1976)
- Regis College degree in 1967 and a Suffolk law degree in 1976.
- Regis College — B.A. (1967)

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, D. Massachusetts, 1990-present
- First appointed on May 7, 1990.
- Editor, Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, 1969–1976
- Research Assistant, Harvard Medical School - Biochemistry Dept., 1967–1969
- Date of birth: 1947
- Also known for her expertise in vaccine litigation and toxic torts
- Recalled U.S. magistrate judge based in Massachusetts and a former chief magistrate judge.
- Before joining the federal bench, she served as a research assistant at Harvard Medical School, medical editor for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and law clerk for the Massachusetts Superior Court
- She is fluent in French, German, and Italian, and has taught judges in countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Nepal, and the UAE.
- Her New Hampshire assignment should remain separate from her Massachusetts home service.
- Birth place: Boston, MA

## 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=5)
- [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=5)
- [Administrative Office CJRA caseload report](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=6)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9283/marianne-b-bowler/)
- [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/9283/marianne-b-bowler/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Marianne B. Bowler](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)
- [Administrative Office CJRA caseload report](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=6)
- [New Hampshire supplied research: bowler-court](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/boston/bowler.htm)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9283/marianne-b-bowler/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Marianne B. Bowler](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)

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## 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.
