--- title: "Michael Jerome McShane | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-jerome-mcshane" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Michael Jerome McShane U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon - State: Oregon - 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, D. Oregon, 2013-present - The Chief United States District Judge for the District of Oregon, a position he assumed on January 1, 2024 - Judge, Oregon Circuit Court, Fourth Judicial District, 2001-2013 - He held the role of Judge Pro Tempore on the Multnomah County Circuit Court (1997–2001) and as a full-time judge there (2001–2013), presiding over civil, criminal, and family cases. - Judge pro tem, Oregon Circuit Court, Fourth Judicial District, 1997-2001 - He is recognized for fostering respectful courtrooms and for interventions in systemic justice issues ### Education - J.D. cum laude from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1988 - He graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga University in 1983 with a B.A. in English literature. ### Additional information - He became Chief Judge in 2024 - The Senate confirmed him on May 20, 2013, and he received his commission on May 30, 2013. - On September 19, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated McShane to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, a seat vacated by Michael R. Hogan. - He received the Oregon State Bar President’s Public Service Award in 2012 - misdemeanor supervisor, 1995-1997 - Attorney, Metropolitan Public Defender, Portland, OR, 1988-1997 - Before joining the bench, McShane worked for the Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland from 1988 to 1997 - senior felony attorney, 1990-1995 - staff attorney, 1988-1990 - Born 1961 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. - Date of birth: 1961-01-01 - As Chief Judge, McShane oversees court operations for the District of Oregon while maintaining an active docket. - McShane grew up in Kennewick, Washington, in a conservative Catholic family. - He then served two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a corrections counselor in Portland, Oregon. - McShane is known for a pragmatic, equitable approach to the law, emphasizing fairness and real-world consequences. - handling public defense cases. - Birth place: Pittsburgh, PA ## 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/1394211) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394211) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394211) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2196/michael-jerome-mcshane/) - [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) - [Federal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges](https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/judges.csv) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2196/michael-jerome-mcshane/) - [Wikidata: Michael J. McShane](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16194199) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-jerome-mcshane", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-jerome-mcshane", "name": "Michael Jerome McShane | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael Jerome McShane, U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. 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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) — 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.