--- title: "Michael P. Mills | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-p-mills" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Michael P. Mills U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi - State: Mississippi - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, N.D. Mississippi, 2001-present - On September 4, 2001, Mills was nominated by President George W. Bush to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, filling the seat vacated by Judge Neal Brooks Biggers Jr ### Education - Associate of Arts from Itawamba Community College in 1976, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mississippi in 1978, a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1980, and a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2001 ### Additional information - Mills held the role of chief judge from 2007 to 2014 and assumed senior status on November 1, 2021. - Practitioner, 2002-2002 - received his commission on October 16, 2001. - He held the role of a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984 to 1995 and then as a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1995 to 2001 - State representative, Mississippi, 1984-1995 - Private practice, Mississippi, 1980-1995 - Practiced law privately in Mississippi from 1980 to 1995. - Practitioner, 1994-1994 - legis, 1994-1994 - prof, 1994-1994 - Michael Paul Mills was born on August 25, 1956, in Charleston, South Carolina. - Date of birth: 1956-08-25 - Birth place: Charleston, SC ## 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/1391346) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391346) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391346) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2265/michael-p-mills/) - [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/2265/michael-p-mills/) - [Wikidata: Michael P. Mills](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6833313) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-p-mills", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-p-mills", "name": "Michael P. Mills | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael P. Mills, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-p-mills#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-p-mills#judge", "name": "Michael P. 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Mills", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-p-mills" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 190 | 4 | Not available | 4 | | 2y | 423 | 104 | 1.4 | 104 | | 5y | 1013 | 656 | 4.3 | 656 | | 10y | 1691 | 1328 | 6.4 | 1328 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## 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.