--- title: "Robert W. Trumble | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-w-trumble-west-virginia-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Robert W. Trumble U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia - State: West Virginia - 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 - In civil matters, Trumble can preside over disputes if the parties consent, managing cases from start to finish similarly to a district judge ### Education - Undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and subsequently attended the WVU College of Law. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, N.D. West Virginia, 2014-present - Direct July1,2017 ConnectBridgeport interview reports BridgeportHighSchool graduation1977, subsequent WVU and WVUSchoolofLaw attendance, and thirty years of practice before judicial service. - He resigned from the firm2014 and was sworn inJune3,2014. - Practitioner, McNeer, Highland, McMunn & Varner, 1992–2014-06 - Practitioner, McNeer, Highland, McMunn & Varner, 1984–1992 - He began atMcNeer,Highland&McMunn inClarksburg1984, opened the firm’s Martinsburg office1992, worked in insurance-defense litigation and commercial bankruptcy, and served twenty years as a USbankruptcy trustee administering approximately18000cases. - J.D. — West Virginia Univ. — 1984 - Trumble married Kathleen on June 26, 1982, and they have four children. - B.S.B.A. — West Virginia Univ. — 1981 - Robert W. Trumble was born in 1959 in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1977. - Trustee, U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Northern District of West Virginia - As a magistrate judge, Trumble handles a wide range of federal cases. - On the criminal side, he oversees misdemeanors, petty offenses, certain tax violations, and preliminary proceedings in felony cases. - Without consent, he handles discovery disputes and other pretrial matters referred by district judges. - Seasoned legal professional with decades of experience in both private practice and federal judicial service. - Federal magistrate judge serving inMartinsburg in theNorthernDistrict ofWestVirginia. - After law school, Trumble practiced law for 30 years, initially in Clarksburg and later in Martinsburg with the firm McNeer, Highland, McMunn & Varner, L.C., before his appointment as a magistrate judge. - His role ensures efficient case management and supports the broader work of the U.S. District Court. - His work as a magistrate judge encompasses both criminal and civil federal cases, providing essential judicial oversight and case management in the Northern District of West Virginia. - His duties include conducting initial appearances, arraignments, detention hearings, issuing search warrants, and ruling on evidentiary motions such as motions to suppress. - The interview explains his criminal preliminary proceedings and civil jurisdiction. - He first realized his interest in law during his sophomore year of high school, which guided his educational and professional path. ## 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=38) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=38) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=38) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9651/robert-w-trumble/) - [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/9651/robert-w-trumble/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Robert W. Trumble](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [www.connect-bridgeport.com](https://www.connect-bridgeport.com/connect.cfm?func=view&item=Bridgeport-High-School-Alum-Robert-Trumble-Serving-as-Magistrate-for-US-District-Court-in-Martinsburg27154) - [wvbar.org](https://wvbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Judge-Trumble-Bio.pdf) - [judicialfinder.com](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/robert-trumble) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9651/robert-w-trumble/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Robert W. Trumble](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-w-trumble-west-virginia-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-w-trumble-west-virginia-us-magistrate", "name": "Robert W. Trumble | KnowJudges", "description": "Robert W. 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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.