--- title: "Paul L. Friedman | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/paul-l-friedman" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Paul L. Friedman U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia - State: District of Columbia - 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, District of Columbia, 1994-2009 - He then practiced law at White & Case in Washington, D.C., from 1976 until his judicial appointment in 1994, including serving as managing partner of the firm’s Washington office. - Assistant solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1974-1976 - Friedman held the role of an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1970 to 1974 and as an Assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General from 1974 to 1976 - Law clerk, Hon. Roger Robb, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1969-1970 - Law clerk, Hon. Aubrey Robinson, U.S. District Court, DC, 1968-1969 - Early in his career, he clerked for Judge Aubrey Eugene Robinson Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and for Judge Roger - He also serves as Secretary of the American Law Institute and has been involved in multiple ALI projects ### Education - University at Buffalo Law School in — J.D. (1968) - Cornell University in — B.A. (1965) ### Additional information - He assumed senior status on December 31, 2009. - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1976-1994 - Paul Lawrence Friedman was born on February 20, 1944, in Buffalo, New York. - Date of birth: 1944-01-01 - Friedman has publicly criticized attacks on judicial independence, notably condemning President Donald Trump’s rhetoric against judges as undermining faith in the rule of law. - received his commission the following day. - War Powers Act Lawsuit: He dismissed a lawsuit by members of Congress challenging President Clinton’s authority to continue airstrikes in Kosovo, emphasizing limits on legislative enforcement of military actions. - Birth place: Buffalo, NY ## 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/1380951) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380951) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380951) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1124/paul-l-friedman/) - [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/1124/paul-l-friedman/) - [Wikidata: Paul L. Friedman](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7151880) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/paul-l-friedman", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/paul-l-friedman", "name": "Paul L. Friedman | KnowJudges", "description": "Paul L. Friedman, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 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/paul-l-friedman#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/paul-l-friedman#judge", "name": "Paul L. 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Friedman", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/paul-l-friedman" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 40 | 2 | Not available | 2 | | 2y | 117 | 24 | 5.3 | 24 | | 5y | 170 | 58 | 5.6 | 58 | | 10y | 278 | 162 | 5.6 | 162 | 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.