--- title: "Moxila A. Upadhyaya | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/moxila-a-upadhyaya-district-of-columbia-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Moxila A. Upadhyaya U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia - State: District of Columbia - 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 ### Education - Bachelor of Arts in Latin from the University of Missouri ### Additional information - She has handled cases related to the January 6 Capitol attack and presided over the arraignment of former President Donald Trump in 2023, setting bail terms and warning against witness intimidation. - Appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge on September 7, 2022, for an eight-year term. - She received the Defender of Innocence Award in 2009 and was named Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by Venable in 2006. - She later obtained her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law in 2003, where she distinguished herself in trial work and served on. - Bachelor of Journalism, magna cum laude, from the Missouri School of Journalism - Recently, Judge Upadhyaya presided over the detention hearing of Cole Tomas Allen, accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. - She admonished prosecutors for attempting to grandstand in court, emphasizing judicial efficiency and proper courtroom conduct. - Moxila Upadhyaya was born in Gujarat, India, and raised near Kansas City, Missouri. - She presides over preliminary proceedings in criminal cases, including arraignments, detention hearings, and search warrant applications, as well as misdemeanor trials and pretrial civil matters. - Upadhyaya has served on the Committee on Grievances for the D.C. Superior Court, co-chaired the D.C. Bar Litigation Section Steering Committee, and participated on the boards of the D.C. Access to Justice Foundation and the Council for Court Excellence. - She is also a. - Upadhyaya has been recognized for her pro bono work, particularly with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, advocating for post-conviction relief in wrongful conviction cases. - Her work focused on representing indigent clients and challenging convictions under the D.C. Innocence Protection Act and the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act. - Birth place: Gujarat ## 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=2) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=2) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=2) - [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) - [Official biography source for Moxila A. Upadhyaya](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=2) - [Wikidata: Moxila A. Upadhyaya](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q121140282) - [Official biography source for Moxila A. Upadhyaya](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=2) - [Wikidata: Moxila A. Upadhyaya](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q121140282) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/moxila-a-upadhyaya-district-of-columbia-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/moxila-a-upadhyaya-district-of-columbia-us-magistrate", "name": "Moxila A. Upadhyaya | KnowJudges", "description": "Moxila A. Upadhyaya, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 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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-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.