--- title: "Thomas E. Johnston | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-e-johnston" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Thomas E. Johnston U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia - State: West Virginia - 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 - Judge, District Court, S.D. West Virginia, 2006-present - In 2001, he was appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia, serving as the chief federal prosecutor for the region until 2006 - Law clerk, Hon. Frederick P. Stamp, Jr., U.S. District Court, Northern Distict of West Virginia, 1992-1994 - After law school, Johnston held the role of a law clerk for Judge Frederick Pfarr Stamp Jr. of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia from 1992 to 1994. - Thomas E. Johnston has had a distinguished legal career, progressing from law clerk to private practice attorney, U.S. Attorney, and ultimately a federal judge ### Education - West Virginia University College of Law in — J.D. (1992) - West Virginia University in — B.A. (1989) ### Additional information - He held the role of chief judge from September 5, 2017, to September 5, 2024. - received his commission on April 17, 2006. - He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 6, 2006, by a vote of 89–0 - U.S. attorney for the Northern Distict of West Virginia, 2001-2006 - Nominated by President George W. Bush on September 28, 2005, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, filling the seat vacated by Charles H. Haden II. - Private practice, Wheeling, WV, 1994-2001 - He then entered private practice in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he worked as an attorney from 1994 to 2001. - Thomas Edward Johnston was born on September 8, 1967, in Charleston, West Virginia. - Date of birth: 1967-01-01 - His tenure on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia spans over two decades, including leadership as chief judge, reflecting his significant role in the federal judiciary. - Birth place: Charleston, WV ## 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 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: . In order to reserve equipment, attorneys must file the Notice of Certification for Use of Courtroom Technology ( LR Civ P 7.1 [a][10] or LR Cr P 12.1 [e]) and contact the court's IT staff at 304/347- 3005. Appointments ideally should be scheduled at least one week prior to the court appearance. [Courtroom Technology | Southern District of West Virginia | United States District Court](https://www.wvsd.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### 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/1392356) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392356) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392356) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1648/thomas-e-johnston/) - [Courtroom Technology | Southern District of West Virginia | United States District Court](https://www.wvsd.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology) - [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/1648/thomas-e-johnston/) - [Wikidata: Thomas E. Johnston](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7789169) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-e-johnston", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-e-johnston", "name": "Thomas E. Johnston | KnowJudges", "description": "Thomas E. Johnston, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-e-johnston#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-e-johnston#judge", "name": "Thomas E. 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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.