--- title: "Robert Jensen Bryan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-jensen-bryan" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Robert Jensen Bryan U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington - State: Washington - 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 - Justice pro tem, Supreme Court of the State of Washington, 1982-present - Justice pro tem, Supreme Court of the State of Washington, 1979-present - Judge pro tem, Court of Appeals of the State of Washington, 1975-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, having assumed senior status on November 1, 2000 - Judge, District Court, W.D. Washington, 1986-2000 - Judge, Superior Court of the State of Washington, 1967-1984 - Judge pro tem, Washington State Supreme Court (1979–1982) ### Education - University of Washington School of Law — J.D. (1958) ### Additional information - Beyond the bench, Bryan has served on the Federal Judicial Center Board (2000–2004) and as Secretary-Treasurer of the 9th Circuit District Judges Association. - Served until 2000, when he took senior status. - On February 3, 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated Bryan to a newly created seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. - The Senate confirmed him by voice vote on April 24, 1986, and he received his commission on May 7, 1986. - Private practice, Seattle, WA, 1984-1986 - Private practice, Bremerton, WA, 1959-1967 - Bryan was born in Bremerton, WA, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1955 to 1957. - B.A. in 1956 - Born October 29, 1934, Bremerton, Washington. - Date of birth: 1934-01-01 - He also served on various state judicial commissions and boards. - Birth place: Bremerton, WA ## 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/1378466) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1378466) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1378466) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/441/robert-jensen-bryan/) - [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/441/robert-jensen-bryan/) - [Wikidata: Robert Jensen Bryan](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7346094) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-jensen-bryan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-jensen-bryan", "name": "Robert Jensen Bryan | KnowJudges", "description": "Robert Jensen Bryan, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. 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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) — 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.