---
title: "Stephen Rogers Bough | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-rogers-bough"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Stephen Rogers Bough

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri · U.S. District Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- State: Missouri
- Role: U.S. District Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judicial service: U.S. District Judge, W.D. Missouri (2014–present)
- United States district judge for the Western District of Missouri, serving since December 19, 2014
- He also held the role of judge pro tem for the City of Roeland Park, Kansas (1999–2001) and as an adjunct professor at UMKC Law School (2003–2009)
- Law clerk, Hon. Scott O. Wright, U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, 1997-1999

### Education

- University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law in — J.D. (1997)
- B.S. in Political Science from Missouri State University in 1993

### Additional information

- On January 16, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Bough to the Western District of Missouri seat vacated by Fernando J. Gaitan Jr., who assumed senior status
- Law Offices of Stephen R. Bough (2006–2014)
- Private practice, Kansas City, MO, 1999-2014
- 2002–2006: Henning & Bough, P.C.
- 1999–2002: Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman.
- Judge pro tem, City of Roeland Park, KS, 1999-2001
- From 1989 to 1995, Bough served in the Missouri Army National Guard, attaining the rank of Sergeant.
- Born in Gainesville, Florida, in December 1970, Bough grew up in Republic, Missouri.
- Date of birth: 1970-01-01
- focusing on insurance coverage and personal injury litigation
- Birth place: Gainesville, FL

## 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/1394731)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394731)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394731)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/337/stephen-rogers-bough/)
- [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/337/stephen-rogers-bough/)
- [Wikidata: Stephen R. Bough](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16210611)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 232 | 13 | 0.3 | 13 |
| 2y | 467 | 132 | 2.1 | 132 |
| 5y | 1108 | 734 | 4.1 | 734 |
| 10y | 2238 | 1856 | 4.2 | 1856 |

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.
