--- title: "Tim A. Baker | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tim-a-baker-indiana-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Tim A. Baker U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana - State: Indiana - 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 December 2023, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. appointed him as the Magistrate Judge Observer to the U.S. Judicial Conference for a two-year term (WebPages ) - Selected as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Indiana in 2001 and has served in this role for over two decades - In 1995, he became an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, a position he held until his judicial appointment in 2001 (WebPages ) - Began his legal career as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Larry J. McKinney from 1989 to 1991, followed by private practice at Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis - Judge Baker has been actively involved in programs such as the REACH federal court re-entry initiative, supporting participants in reintegration and professional development (WebPages ) ### Education - B.A. in Journalism from Indiana University in 1984 and a J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1989 (WebPages ). ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, S.D. Indiana, 2001-present - In 2022, he received the Founders Award from the Federal Magistrate Judges Association (WebPages ) - handling a wide range of federal cases including preliminary criminal proceedings, misdemeanor trials, and civil matters upon consent of the parties (WebPages ). - Highly experienced federal magistrate judge with a distinguished career in both legal practice and judicial service. - He has also contributed to the court’s Pro Bono Program and has overseen significant rulings in civil and criminal cases within the Southern District of Indiana (WebPages ) - Judge Baker has held numerous leadership roles, including serving on the Federal Judicial Center Board, the Magistrate Judge Education Committee, and the Indiana State Bar Association Board of Governors. - He is a Life Fellow of the Indiana Bar Foundation, a Distinguished Fellow of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, and a two-time recipient of the IBA’s Dr. John Morton Finney, Jr. - Award for Excellence in Legal Education. ## 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=70) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=70) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=70) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9247/tim-a-baker/) - [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/9247/tim-a-baker/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9247/tim-a-baker/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tim-a-baker-indiana-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tim-a-baker-indiana-us-magistrate", "name": "Tim A. 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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-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.