---
title: "Matt J. Whitworth | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/matt-j-whitworth-9341"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Matt J. Whitworth

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- State: Missouri
- Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Matt Jeffrey Whitworth was a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, serving from 2010 until his death in 2019
- Began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Jack E. Gant, then held the role of an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Jackson County, Missouri, before a year in private practice

### Education

- B.A. in English and Political Science (with a minor in Religion) from Baker University in 1980, and his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1983.

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, W.D. Missouri, 2010-present
- Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth passed away on October 8, 2019 at St. Luke’s North Hospital.
- A memorial service was held on October 14, 2019, at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri.
- Selected as a U.S. Magistrate Judge on January 15, 2010, succeeding Judge William A. Knox.
- A renewable eight‐year term.
- Before his judicial appointment, Whitworth had a distinguished career as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, where he rose to Chief of the Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Acting U.S. Attorney.
- He prosecuted some of the most significant and violent criminal cases in the country, earning the Lon O. Hocker Memorial Trial Award and induction into the American College of Trial Lawyers

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9341/matt-j-whitworth/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9341/matt-j-whitworth/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9341/matt-j-whitworth/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9341/matt-j-whitworth/)

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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.