--- title: "Robin J. Cauthron | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robin-j-cauthron" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Robin J. Cauthron U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma - State: Oklahoma - Role: U.S. District 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, W.D. Oklahoma, 1991-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, having assumed senior status on July 14, 2015 - U.S. District Judge, W.D. Oklahoma, appointed by President George H.W. Bush on February 7, 1991, confirmed by the Senate on March 21, 1991, and commissioned March 25, 1991 - Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma (1986–1991) - Special judge, Oklahoma District Court, Seventeenth Judicial District, 1983-1986 - Special District Judge, Oklahoma District Court, 17th Judicial District (1983–1986) - She held the role of a law clerk to Judge Ralph G. Thompson (W.D. Okla.) from 1977–1981, worked as a staff attorney for Legal Services of Eastern Oklahoma, Inc. (1981–1982), and practiced law in Idabel, Oklahoma (1982–1983) - Law clerk, Hon. Ralph G. Thompson, U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma, 1977-1981 ### Education - University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus — B.A. (1970) - University of Central Oklahoma ### Additional information - She was also a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 2009–2012 - Chief Judge, W.D. Oklahoma, from 2001–2008 - Private practice, Idabel, OK, 1982-1983 - Staff attorney, Legal Services of Eastern Oklahoma, Inc., Hugo, OK, 1981-1982 - Date of birth: 1950-01-01 - Birth place: Edmond, OK ## 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/1378966) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1378966) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1378966) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/572/robin-j-cauthron/) - [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/572/robin-j-cauthron/) - [Wikidata: Robin J. Cauthron](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7352562) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robin-j-cauthron", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robin-j-cauthron", "name": "Robin J. Cauthron | KnowJudges", "description": "Robin J. Cauthron, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robin-j-cauthron#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robin-j-cauthron#judge", "name": "Robin J. 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Cauthron", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robin-j-cauthron" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 5y | 32 | 32 | 4.9 | 32 | | 10y | 437 | 437 | 5.6 | 437 | 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.