--- title: "Matthew Walden McFarland | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/matthew-walden-mcfarland" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Matthew Walden McFarland U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ยท Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio - State: Ohio - 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 - Judge, District Court, S.D. Ohio, OH, 2020-present - United States District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio, appointed by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the Senate on December 18, 2019 - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2005-2019 - Special Counsel, Ohio Attorney General, Columbus, OH, 1995-1999 - Assistant County Prosecutor, Scioto County Prosecutor's Office, Portsmith, OH, 1995-1999 - Assistant County Prosecutor, Licking County Prosecutor's Office, Newark, OH, 1994-1995 - Associate Attorney, Faulkner Law Office, Wheelersburg, OH, 1992-1994 - Law Clerk and Associate Attorney, Mazanec, Raskin and Ryder, Columbus, OH, 1991-1992 - Judge of the Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals ### Education - J.D. from Capital University in 1989 and 1992, respectively, cum laude ### Additional information - McFarland has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2017 and is an adjunct professor at Shawnee State University - The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on June 26, 2019, and the full Senate confirmed him 56โ€“38 on December 18, 2019. - He received his judicial commission on December 31, 2019 - Magistrate, Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Scioto County, OH, 1999-2004 - Solo Practitioner, Matthew W. McFarland, Esq., Portsmith, OH, 1995-1999 - Assistant City Solicitor, Portsmith, OH, 1992-1993 - Born August 5, 1967, Portsmouth, Ohio. - Date of birth: 1967-08-05 - B.A. in Political Science - Maumee Valley Country Day School - He also held the role of a magistrate in Scioto County Common Pleas Court and was chairman of the Ohio Association of Magistrates, Juvenile Section - Birth place: Portsmouth, OH ## 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/7539421) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7539421) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7539421) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8115/matthew-walden-mcfarland/) - [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/8115/matthew-walden-mcfarland/) - [Wikidata: Matthew W. McFarland](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57242811) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/matthew-walden-mcfarland", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/matthew-walden-mcfarland", "name": "Matthew Walden McFarland | KnowJudges", "description": "Matthew Walden McFarland, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. 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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-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) โ€” 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.