--- title: "Patti B. Saris | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/patti-b-saris" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Patti B. Saris U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts - State: Massachusetts - Role: 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, D. Massachusetts, 1993-present - Senior United States district judge for the District of Massachusetts, having assumed senior status on December 2, 2024, after serving as Chief Judge from 2013 to 2019 and Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 2010 to 2017 - U.S. District Judge, District of Massachusetts (1993–2024), nominated by President Bill Clinton on October 27, 1993, confirmed by the Senate on November 20, 1993 - Associate justice, Massachusetts Superior Court, 1989-1993 - Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Massachusetts, 1982-1986; chief, Civil Division, 1984-1986 - Law clerk, Hon. Robert Braucher, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 1976-1977 ### Education - Harvard University — J.D. (1976) - Harvard Law School in — J.D. (1976) - Radcliffe College in (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) — B.A. (1973) - Boston Latin Academy ### Additional information - Chair, U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2010-present - U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 1986-1989 - Private practice, Boston, MA, 1981-1982 - Private practice, Boston, Massachusetts, 1977-1979, 1981-1982 - Staff counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1979-1981 - Private practice, Boston, MA, 1977-1979 - Date of birth: 1951-01-01 - Birth place: Boston, MA ## 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 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: . Practical Use of Courtroom Technology During a proceeding, the Judge's courtroom deputy is the primary contact for courtroom technology. Please be aware that any requested changes may need to be reviewed and approved by the Judge prior to any changes being made. [Technology in the Courtroom | United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology.htm) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: Who controls the evidence presentation system at trial? The Judge and courtroom deputy have full control of the system. [Courtroom Technology](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/pdf/Courtroom%20Training%20Power%20Point.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### 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/1387381) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387381) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387381) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2842/patti-b-saris/) - [Technology in the Courtroom | United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology.htm) - [Courtroom Technology](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/pdf/Courtroom%20Training%20Power%20Point.pdf) - [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/2842/patti-b-saris/) - [Judge Patti B. Saris](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387381) - [Wikidata: Patti B. Saris](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7148511) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/patti-b-saris", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/patti-b-saris", "name": "Patti B. Saris | KnowJudges", "description": "Patti B. Saris, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 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/patti-b-saris#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/patti-b-saris#judge", "name": "Patti B. 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Saris", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/patti-b-saris" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 273 | 16 | 0.3 | 16 | | 2y | 1132 | 83 | 2.8 | 83 | | 5y | 2938 | 521 | 4.4 | 521 | | 10y | 3782 | 1362 | 4.9 | 1362 | 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.