--- title: "Robert Charles Chambers | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-c-chambers" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Robert Charles Chambers U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia ยท U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia - State: West Virginia - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - 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. West Virginia, 1997-present ### Education - West Virginia University College of Law in โ€” J.D. (1977) - Bachelor of Arts in political science from Marshall University in 1974 ### Additional information - Legal counsel, West Virginia State Senate, 1978-present - Chambers held the role of Chief Judge from 2012 to 2017. - received his commission on September 18, 1997. - On June 5, 1997, Chambers was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, filling the seat vacated by Elizabeth Virginia Hallanan. - Private practice, Charleston, WV, 1978-1997 - Began his legal career in private practice in Huntington, West Virginia, working with his father and later with Guy Bucci in Charleston from 1977 to 1997. - He became the youngest Speaker of the House of Delegates in West Virginia history, holding the position from 1987 to 1996, the longest tenure in that office. - He also chaired the House Judiciary Committee from 1985 to 1986 and briefly co-chaired the state Democratic Party before resigning in 1996. - In 1978, he held the role of legal counsel to the West Virginia State Senate and was elected as a Delegate to the West Virginia House of Delegates, serving from 1978 to 1996. - Private practice, Charleston, WV, 1977-1978 - Robert Charles Chambers was born on August 27, 1952, in Williamson, West Virginia, to James E. and Geraldine Kiser Chambers. - Date of birth: 1952-01-01 - Birth place: Williamson, WV ## 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 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: . In order to reserve equipment, attorneys must file the Notice of Certification for Use of Courtroom Technology ( LR Civ P 7.1 [a][10] or LR Cr P 12.1 [e]) and contact the court's IT staff at 304/347- 3005. Appointments ideally should be scheduled at least one week prior to the court appearance. [Courtroom Technology | Southern District of West Virginia | United States District Court](https://www.wvsd.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### 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/1390451) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390451) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390451) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/585/robert-charles-chambers/) - [Courtroom Technology | Southern District of West Virginia | United States District Court](https://www.wvsd.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology) - [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/585/robert-charles-chambers/) - [Wikidata: Robert Charles Chambers](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7342872) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-c-chambers", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-c-chambers", "name": "Robert Charles Chambers | KnowJudges", "description": "Robert Charles Chambers, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. 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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-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) โ€” 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.