--- title: "William E. Cassady | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-e-cassady-alabama-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # William E. Cassady U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama - State: Alabama - 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 - William E. Cassady held the role of a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama from 1985 until his retirement on March 10, 2017 - Appointed to a renewable eight‐year term as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in 1985 by the judges of the Southern District of Alabama - Official U.S. Courts site: Lists Cassady as a retired magistrate judge for the Southern District of Alabama Southern District of Alabama | ### Education ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, S.D. Alabama, 1985-present - Cassady was assigned over 4,400 federal cases and referred more than 6,800 matters in the federal docket between 1976 and 2026. - Cassady retired from the bench on March 10, 2017 United States Courts. - Practitioner, 1978–1985, AL - J.D. — Faulkner Univ. — 1977 - B.A. — Univ. of Alabama — 1973 - Magistrate judges handle certain federal cases, including preliminary matters, misdemeanor criminal cases, and some civil matters, under the authority of the U.S. District Court. - this date and notes that he was no longer active in judicial service after that point. - His service spanned more than four decades, making him one of the longest‐serving magistrate judges in the district. ## 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=121) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=121) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=121) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9018/william-e-cassady/) - [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/9018/william-e-cassady/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: William Earle Cassady](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9018/william-e-cassady/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: William Earle Cassady](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-e-cassady-alabama-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-e-cassady-alabama-us-magistrate", "name": "William E. 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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.