--- title: "Sara Elizabeth Lioi | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-elizabeth-lioi" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Sara Elizabeth Lioi U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio - State: Ohio - Role: 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, N.D. Ohio, 2007-present - Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC): Appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts on May 19, 2023 - Judge, Stark County Ohio Court of Common Pleas, 1997-2007 - In 1997, she was appointed Judge of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas by Governor George Voinovich, serving two elected terms (1998–2007) - After law school, she joined the Canton law firm Day, Ketterer, Raley, Wright & Rybolt, Ltd. as an associate in 1987, rising to partner in 1993. - The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and also serves as a judge on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) ### Education - Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1987 from The Ohio State University College of Law (now Michael E. Moritz College of Law) - Bowling Green State University-Main Campus — B.A. (1983) ### Additional information - Federal Service: Since 2007 - Chief Judge: Assumed this role on June 5, 2023, succeeding Patricia Anne Gaughan - Private practice, Canton, OH, 1987-1997 - Born 1960 in Canton, Ohio. - Date of birth: 1960-01-01 - Also active in judicial administration, including hiring law clerks - Lioi oversaw the Cuyahoga County corruption case, including the prosecution of Jimmy Dimora, who was awarded a 28-year sentence; the case was affirmed on appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined further review - Birth place: Canton, OH ## 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/1392536) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392536) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392536) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1943/sara-elizabeth-lioi/) - [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/1943/sara-elizabeth-lioi/) - [Wikidata: Sara Elizabeth Lioi](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7421616) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-elizabeth-lioi", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-elizabeth-lioi", "name": "Sara Elizabeth Lioi | KnowJudges", "description": "Sara Elizabeth Lioi, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. 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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.