--- title: "Richard L. Young | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-l-young" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Richard L. Young U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana - State: Indiana - 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, S.D. Indiana, 1998-present - Judge, Indiana Circuit Court, First Judicial Circuit, 1990-1998 - Young held the role of a circuit judge for the Vanderburgh Circuit Court from 1990 to 1998 - Began his legal career in private practice in Evansville, Indiana, from 1980 to 1990, while also serving part-time as a public defender for Vanderburgh Circuit Court (1983–1985) and as corporation counsel for the City of Evansville (1985–1987) - Public defender (part-time), Indiana Circuit Court, First Judicial Circuit, 1983-1985 ### Education - George Mason University School of Law in — J.D. (1980) - Drake University in — B.A. (1975) - Antonin Scalia Law School ### Additional information - In 2024, he blocked an Indiana law requiring adult websites to verify users’ ages and ordered gender-affirming surgery for an inmate, citing Eighth Amendment protections - He held the role of Chief Judge from 2009 to 2016 and assumed senior status on March 31, 2023 - In 2021, he ruled in favor of Roncalli High School in a case involving the "ministerial exception" for guidance counselors at religious schools. - This decision was affirmed by the Seventh Circuit, and the Supreme Court declined to review it, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage in Indiana before the nationwide ruling in 2015. - Judge Young gained national attention in 2014 when he struck down Indiana's ban on same-sex marriage, ruling it unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause. - The Senate confirmed him unanimously (81–0) on March 2, 1998, and he received his commission on March 6, 1998. - On July 15, 1997, he was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, filling the seat vacated by Gene Edward Brooks. - Richard Lee Young was born on January 3, 1953, in Davenport, Iowa. - Date of birth: 1953-01-01 - Birth place: Davenport, IA ## 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/1390606) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390606) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390606) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3587/richard-l-young/) - [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/3587/richard-l-young/) - [Wikidata: Richard L. Young](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7327216) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-l-young", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-l-young", "name": "Richard L. Young | KnowJudges", "description": "Richard L. Young, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. 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/richard-l-young#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-l-young#judge", "name": "Richard L. 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Young", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-l-young" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 577 | 7 | Not available | 7 | | 2y | 1164 | 168 | 3.1 | 168 | | 5y | 3922 | 1414 | 6.2 | 1414 | | 10y | 14865 | 7132 | 11.7 | 7132 | 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.