--- title: "S. Dave Vatti | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/s-dave-vatti-connecticut-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # S. Dave Vatti U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut - State: Connecticut - 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 - 2021–present: U.S. Magistrate Judge, District of Connecticut - U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court - District of Connecticut, from 2021-03-22 - S. Dave Vatti is a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, appointed on March 22, 2021, with a background in law practice, prosecution, and community crime prevention programs - Chief, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Connecticut - Criminal Division - Violent Crime and Narcotics Unit, 2013-06–2021 - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Connecticut - Criminal Division, 2004–2021 - 2004–2021: Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s 2013–2021: Oversaw the Career Pathways Collaborative, a DOJ-recognized crime prevention program pairing at-risk youth with vocational training District of Connecticut - Recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2018 for the Career Pathways program’s innovation in crime prevention - 2000–2001: Partner at the same firm - Associate at Zeldes, Needle & Cooper, P.C., Bridgeport, CT (1992–1999) ### Education - University of Connecticut — J.D. (1992) ### Additional information - Sole practitioner in Shelton, CT (2001–2003). - Practitioner, Zeldes, Needle & Cooper, 1992–2001 - B.A. — Columbia Univ. — 1989 - Extensive experience in prosecuting violent crime and interstate drug trafficking cases - As a Magistrate Judge, Judge Vatti handles pretrial matters, discovery disputes, and other cases delegated under 28 U.S.C.. 636(e) in the District of Connecticut District of Connecticut. - His chambers are located at the U.S. Courthouse, 915 Lafayette Boulevard, Bridgeport, CT District of Connecticut. - Previously president of the UConn Law School Alumni Association. - Connecticut Journal of International Law — notes and comments editor ## 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=9) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=9) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=9) - [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) - [Official biography source for S. Dave Vatti](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=9) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: S. Dave Vatti](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Official biography source for S. Dave Vatti](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=9) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: S. Dave Vatti](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/s-dave-vatti-connecticut-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/s-dave-vatti-connecticut-us-magistrate", "name": "S. Dave Vatti | KnowJudges", "description": "S. Dave Vatti, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. 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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.