---
title: "Paul Kohler | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/paul-kohler-utah-us-magistrate"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Paul Kohler

U.S. District Court for the District of Utah · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Utah
- State: Utah
- 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

- Paul D. Kohler is a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, appointed in 2019, and also practices law at the Tolman Group in criminal defense, government investigations, and corporate compliance matters
- Joined the Tolman Group in 2019, after nearly 20 years as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Utah
- Magistrate judge in the Southern Region of the Central Division of the District of Utah
- Mailing address: Federal Court Judge Paul Kohler, 197 East Tabernacle Street, St. George, UT 84770

### Education

- J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, magna cum laude, Top 5% of class — J.D. (1998)
- Brigham Young University, cum laude, English major/Economics minor — B.A. (1995)

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, D. Utah, 2019-present
- J.D. — Brigham Young Univ. — 1998
- handling cases from DUIs to complex antitrust matters.
- Before his judicial appointment, he was a half‐time federal magistrate judge in the District of Utah.
- handling pretrial matters and all civil and criminal cases in that region.
- Email: utdecf_kohler@
- He presides in Courtroom 2200 at the St. George Courthouse.
- Licenses: Utah State Bar and Federal Bar.
- He enjoys scuba diving, mountain biking, and playing the piano.

## 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=116)
- [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=116)
- [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=116)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9608/paul-kohler/)
- [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/9608/paul-kohler/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Paul Kohler](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9608/paul-kohler/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Paul Kohler](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.
