--- title: "William C. Griesbach | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-c-griesbach" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # William C. Griesbach U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin - State: Wisconsin - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, E.D. Wisconsin, 2002-present - In 1995, he was elected as a judge on the Brown County Circuit Court, where he served until his federal appointment in 2002. - Assistant district attorney, Brown County, WI, 1987-1995 - He then held the role of an assistant district attorney in Brown County, Wisconsin, from 1987 to 1995 - Following law school, he held the role of a law clerk to Judge Bruce F. Beilfuss of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1979 to 1980, and then as a staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1980 to 1982 - Law clerk, Hon. Bruce Beilfuss, Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1979-1980 ### Education - Marquette University Law School in — J.D. (1979) - Marquette University in — B.A. (1976) ### Additional information - He held the role of Chief Judge from October 31, 2012, to October 31, 2019, and assumed senior status on December 31, 2019. - received his commission on May 1, 2002. - On January 23, 2002, Griesbach was nominated by President George W. Bush to a newly created seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. - After his clerkship, Griesbach entered private practice in Wisconsin from 1982 to 1987. - William C. Griesbach was born on January 24, 1954, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. - Date of birth: 1954-01-01 - William C. Griesbach has had a distinguished legal career spanning private practice, prosecutorial work, state judicial service, and federal judicial service. - His tenure as Chief Judge and his continued service as a senior judge reflect his long-standing contribution to the judiciary in Wisconsin. - Birth place: Milwaukee, WI ## 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: judge specific Judge-specific source Evidence excerpt: In some cases, including prisoner cases, testimony by video conference is also available. Counsel may use personal laptop computers or contract for other technology at their own expense. Counsel may make arrangements with court staff for access to the courtroom for the purpose of setting up any equipment prior to a trial or hearing. [Preferred%20Procedures%20and%20General%20Information%20-%20June%202025.pdf](https://www.wied.uscourts.gov/sites/wied/files/documents/Preferred%20Procedures%20and%20General%20Information%20-%20June%202025.pdf) 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/1391486) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391486) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391486) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1285/william-c-griesbach/) - [Preferred%20Procedures%20and%20General%20Information%20-%20June%202025.pdf](https://www.wied.uscourts.gov/sites/wied/files/documents/Preferred%20Procedures%20and%20General%20Information%20-%20June%202025.pdf) - [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/1285/william-c-griesbach/) - [Wikidata: William C. Griesbach](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8006315) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-c-griesbach", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-c-griesbach", "name": "William C. Griesbach | KnowJudges", "description": "William C. Griesbach, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-08", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-c-griesbach#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-c-griesbach#judge", "name": "William C. 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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.