---
title: "Michael J. Frank | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-j-frank-florida-us-magistrate"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Michael J. Frank

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- State: Florida
- 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

- U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, appointed in 2018 to an 8‐year renewable term
- National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, U.S. Dept. of Justice
- Captain, U.S. Army - Judge Advocate Generals' Corps
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern District of Virginia
- Human Trafficking Coordinator, U.S. Attorney's Office - Northern District of Florida
- Associate Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Dept. of Justice
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - Northern District of Florida
- Associate Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice — held the role of the DOJ’s national coordinator to combat human trafficking and child exploitation

### Education

- Canisius College — B.A.

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, N.D. Florida, 2018-present
- J.D. — St. Louis Univ.
- LL.M. — New York Univ.
- Judge Advocate General’s Corps — held the role of a judge advocate, including a deployment to Iraq prosecuting members of coalition forces
- Judge Frank’s expertise is particularly focused on human trafficking, child exploitation, and civil rights cases, with a record of both prosecution and advocacy in these areas
- He has also provided training on human trafficking to judges, investigators, and prosecutors domestically and internationally

## 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=122)
- [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=122)
- [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=122)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9164/michael-j-frank/)
- [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/9164/michael-j-frank/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Michael J. Frank](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9164/michael-j-frank/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Michael J. Frank](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.
