---
title: "Staci G. Cornelius | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/staci-g-cornelius-alabama-us-magistrate"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Staci G. Cornelius

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
- State: Alabama
- 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

- U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, appointed in 2014 and reappointed in 2022, with over 20 years of prior legal experience in federal, state, and private practice
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama, AL, 2012-2014
- Deputy District Attorney, Jefferson County, Alabama, AL, 1993-1999

### Education

- The University of Alabama — J.D. (1992)

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, N.D. Alabama, 2014-present
- Appointed: April 2, 2014, to an 8‐year renewable term; reappointed in 2022
- Practitioner, Haskell, Slaughter, Young & Rediker, AL, 2008-2012
- Practitioner, Gaines, Wolter & Kinney, AL, 2001-2007
- Chambers: Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse, 1729 5th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203
- Assistant U.S. Attorney (federal prosecution)
- Litigator in private practice
- Mediated 40+ cases referred by district judges and other magistrates
- Managed pro se prisoner litigation and habeas proceedings
- She has tried over 200 jury cases to verdict in both civil and criminal matters Northern District of Alabama.
- Handled 600+ civil cases to conclusion, including business and insurance disputes, tort claims, employment discrimination, wage disputes, Social Security appeals, civil rights cases, a First Amendment case, trademark infringement, and admiralty matters

## 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=118)
- [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=118)
- [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=118)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8527/staci-g-cornelius/)
- [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/8527/staci-g-cornelius/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8527/staci-g-cornelius/)

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## 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.
