--- title: "R. Austin Huffaker Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-austin-huffaker-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # R. Austin Huffaker Jr. U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama - State: Alabama - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, appointed in 2019 and elevated to chief judge in 2026 ### Education - University of Alabama School of Law — J.D. (1999) - Vanderbilt University — 1996 ### Additional information - Nominated: July 8, 2019, by President Donald J. Trump - Predecessor: William Keith Watkins (senior status, 2019) - Commission Issued: December 12, 2019 - Senate Confirmation: December 4, 2019, by a 89–4 vote - Commissioner, Alabama Securities Commission, 2016-2019 - Private practice, Montgomery, Alabama, 1999-2019 - Date of birth: 1973-03-07 - Before joining the federal bench, Huffaker practiced law in Montgomery, Alabama, for about 20 years - Fellow in the Alabama Law Foundation - focusing on civil litigation defense in areas such as legal malpractice, employment law, lender liability, auto dealerships, and product defects United States District Court - Member of the Alabama Civil Jury Charge Committee - Huffaker has participated in state constitutional revision efforts, served on various Alabama bar committees (including Unauthorized Practice of Law, Technology in the Courtroom, and Bench & Bar Relations), and has been active in the Montgomery Chapter of the Federal Bar Association for over a decade United States District Court - Birth place: Montgomery ## 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/7465656) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7465656) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7465656) - [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) - [Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr.](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7465656) - [Wikidata: R. Austin Huffaker Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65030864) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-austin-huffaker-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-austin-huffaker-jr", "name": "R. Austin Huffaker Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "R. Austin Huffaker Jr., U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. 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/r-austin-huffaker-jr#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-austin-huffaker-jr#judge", "name": "R. 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Austin Huffaker Jr.", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-austin-huffaker-jr" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 208 | 8 | Not available | 8 | | 2y | 410 | 89 | 2.5 | 89 | | 5y | 1002 | 601 | 6.2 | 601 | | 10y | 1348 | 941 | 7.8 | 941 | 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.