--- title: "Tucker L. Melancon | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tucker-l-melancon" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Tucker L. Melancon U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - State: Louisiana - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · role: Senior Judge · start date: 2009-02-14 · notes: Assumed senior status due to certified disability on February 14, 2009 - Judge, District Court, W.D. Louisiana, 1994-2009 - court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana · role: Judge · start date: 1994-02-11 · end date: 2009-02-14 · notes: Nominated by William J. Clinton on November 18, 1993 to seat vacated by Thomas E. Stagg, Jr - Before joining the federal judiciary, Melançon was managing partner of the private law firm Melançon & Rabalais in Marksville, Louisiana, from 1973 to 1993 - Tucker Lee Melançon is a Senior United States District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana - Visiting Judge: Also held the role of a visiting judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico ### Education - Tulane University of Louisiana — J.D. (1973) - Tulane University Law School — Law — J.D. (1973) - Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College — B.S. (1968) ### Additional information - Service: held the role of a judge from February 11, 1994, until February 14, 2009, when he assumed senior status due to a certified disability - Confirmed by Senate Feb 10, 1994 - Commission issued Feb 11, 1994 - Private practice, Marksville, LA, 1973-1993 - Attorney — Private practice, Marksville, Louisiana · start year: 1973 · end year: 1993 - Born February 3, 1946, in Bryan, Texas. - Date of birth: 1946-01-01 - Birth place: Bryan, TX ## 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/1384986) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2210/tucker-l-melancon/) - [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/2210/tucker-l-melancon/) - [Judge Tucker L. Melancon](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986) - [Wikidata: Tucker L. Melancon](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7851075) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://ballotpedia.org/Tucker_L._Melancon) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2210/tucker-l-melancon/) - [Judge Tucker L. Melancon](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986) - [Wikidata: Tucker L. Melancon](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7851075) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tucker-l-melancon", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/tucker-l-melancon", "name": "Tucker L. Melancon | KnowJudges", "description": "Tucker L. Melancon, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. 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[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.