--- title: "Stephen C. Dries | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-dries-wisconsin-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Stephen C. Dries U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin - State: Wisconsin - 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 summary: Stephen C. Dries is an experienced federal judge with a background in judicial administration, appellate law clerking, and private practice, now serving as a magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin since 2020 - On April 25, 2025, Judge Dries presided over a federal hearing involving Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, who was charged with obstructing an ICE arrest based on a warrant Dries had previously approved - U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, appointed in 2020 after serving as the court’s clerk and practicing as an attorney. - Clerk of the Court, U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2017-05–2020 - Law Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (to Diane Sykes) - Law Clerk, U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Wisconsin (to William Griesbach) - Private Practice: Attorney at Jenner & Block law firm ### Education - J.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2001 B.A., Georgetown University, 1998 ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. Wisconsin, 2020-present - Appointment: Chosen by district judges in 2020 to a renewable 8‐year term - J.D. — Univ. of Wisconsin — 2001 - Practitioner, Jenner & Block - The case drew significant public and political attention. - Courtroom: Room 284, U.S. Courthouse, 517 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202 - B.A. — Georgetown Univ. ## 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=71) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=71) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=71) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14425/stephen-c-dries/) - [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/14425/stephen-c-dries/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Stephen C. Dries](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Wikidata: Stephen C. Dries](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134165897) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14425/stephen-c-dries/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Stephen C. Dries](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [Wikidata: Stephen C. Dries](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134165897) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-dries-wisconsin-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-dries-wisconsin-us-magistrate", "name": "Stephen C. Dries | KnowJudges", "description": "Stephen C. Dries, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-08", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-dries-wisconsin-us-magistrate#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-dries-wisconsin-us-magistrate#judge", "name": "Stephen C. Dries", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-dries-wisconsin-us-magistrate", "jobTitle": "U.S. Magistrate Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=71", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14425/stephen-c-dries/" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Univ. of Wisconsin" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Georgetown Univ." } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Wisconsin", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/wisconsin" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen C. Dries", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-c-dries-wisconsin-us-magistrate" } ] } ] } ``` ## 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.