--- title: "Wendy Williams Berger | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/wendy-w-berger" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Wendy Williams Berger U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida - State: Florida - 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, M.D. Florida, 2019-present - Wendy Leigh Williams Berger (née Williams, born December 1, 1968, in Athens, Georgia) is an American federal judge serving on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida since July 29, 2019 - Judge, District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2012-present - Judge, Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal (2012–2019) — appointed by Governor Rick Scott - Judge, Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal, 2012-2018 - Judge, Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida, 2005-2012 - Judge, Circuit Court of Florida, Seventh Judicial Circuit, 2005-2012 - Circuit Judge, Seventh Judicial Circuit, Florida (2005–2012) — presided over civil, probate, and adult felony divisions; led St - Assistant state attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit, Florida, 1993-2000 ### Education - Florida State University College of Law — J.D. (1992) - Florida State University — B.A. (1990) - Florida State University — B.S. (1990) ### Additional information - Judge, 2011-2011 - Jeb Bush, Florida, 2001-2005 - Date of birth: 1968-12-01 - Assistant general counsel and clemency aide, Gov. - Before joining the federal bench, Berger had a long legal career in Florida’s state courts and as state government counsel. - President Donald J. Trump (Appointed by). - Known for her public lectures on topics including originalism, textualism, appellate practice, federal practice, extradition, the death penalty, and drug courts. - She has also served on numerous bar committees, including the Florida Bar’s Judicial Administration and Evaluation Committee, and is active in professional organizations such as the Federalist Society and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals - Birth place: Athens, GA ## 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: Assisted-Listening Headsets Headsets that enhance volume . Audio/Visual Players VHS and DVD players . Document Cameras (ELMO) Devices that display on a large screen a hardcopy document placed on the document camera . [Courtroom Technology | Middle District of Florida | United States District Court](https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov/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/6801611) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6801611) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6801611) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14469/wendy-williams-berger/) - [Courtroom Technology | Middle District of Florida | United States District Court](https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov/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/14469/wendy-williams-berger/) - [Judge Wendy Williams Berger](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6801611) - [Wikidata: Wendy Williams Berger](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51725934) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/wendy-w-berger", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/wendy-w-berger", "name": "Wendy Williams Berger | KnowJudges", "description": "Wendy Williams Berger, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. 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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-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.