--- title: "Robert B. Collings | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-b-collings-massachusetts-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Robert B. Collings U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts - State: Massachusetts - 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 - U.S. Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, a position he has held since March 15, 1982 - He has also lectured at various law schools and seminars, and in 2007 joined the Judicial Conference of the United States as the Magistrate Judge representative for two years - U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts from 1971 until his judicial appointment in 1982, rising to Chief of the Criminal Division in 1976 and First Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1978 - Lieutenant, U.S. Navy Reserve - Judge Advocate General's Corps, 1978–1981 - First Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Massachusetts, 1978–1981 - Instructor, Attorney General Advocacy Institute, 1976–1981 - Deputy Chief, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Massachusetts - Criminal Division, 1976–1976 - Law Clerk, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1967–1967 - Official site: U.S. District Court – Judge Robert B. Collings ### Education - Harvard Law School — J.D. (1967) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, D. Massachusetts, 1982-present - Practitioner, 1971–1971, Boston, MA - Date of birth: 1942 - Before joining the judiciary, Collings served in the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps after law school - Known for his long-standing role in federal criminal and civil cases, as well as leadership in the magistrate court system - John J. Moakley U.S. Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Way, Suite 2300, Boston, MA 02210 (Courthouse). - Birth place: New York, 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=5) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=5) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=5) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9285/robert-b-collings/) - [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/9285/robert-b-collings/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Robert B. Collings](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Wikidata: Robert B. Collings](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130549412) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9285/robert-b-collings/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Robert B. Collings](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Wikidata: Robert B. Collings](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130549412) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-b-collings-massachusetts-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-b-collings-massachusetts-us-magistrate", "name": "Robert B. Collings | KnowJudges", "description": "Robert B. Collings, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. 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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.