--- title: "William G. Young | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-g-young" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # William G. Young U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts - State: Massachusetts - 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 - Judge, District Court, D. Massachusetts, 1985-present - Then appointed associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, serving from 1978 to 1985 In 1985, President Ronald Reagan nominated Young to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts - Special assistant attorney general, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1970-1972 - Began in private practice in Boston from 1968 to 1972 and held the role of a special assistant attorney general of Massachusetts from 1970 to 1972 - Early in his legal career, Young clerked for Chief Justice Raymond S. Wilkins of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1967 to 1968 - Law clerk, Hon. Raymond S. Wilkins, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 1967-0068 ### Education - B.A. from Harvard University in 1962 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1967. ### Additional information - Lecturer in law, Boston University Law School, 1979-present - Lecturer in law, Boston College Law School, 1968-present - Young held the role of chief judge from 1999 to 2005 and assumed senior status on July 1, 2021 - Lecturer in law, Harvard Law School, 1979-1990 - Private practice, Boston, MA, 1975-1978 - Chief counsel to Governor Francis Sargent from 1972 to 1974 and returned to private practice until 1978. - Francis W. Sargent, MA, 1972-1974 - Private practice, Boston, MA, 1968-1972 - U.S. Army captain, 1962-1964 - William Glover Young was born on September 23, 1940, in Huntington, New York. - Date of birth: 1940-01-01 - received his commission the following day. - Chief counsel, Gov. - William G. Young’s career spans military service, private practice, state and federal judiciary, and legal education. - His rulings and leadership have had a lasting impact on Massachusetts law, and his decades-long dedication to the judiciary have earned him widespread recognition and respect within the legal community - The event highlighted his influence on the Massachusetts legal community and his mentorship of generations of lawyers - Birth place: Huntington, NY ## 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: . Practical Use of Courtroom Technology During a proceeding, the Judge's courtroom deputy is the primary contact for courtroom technology. Please be aware that any requested changes may need to be reviewed and approved by the Judge prior to any changes being made. [Technology in the Courtroom | United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology.htm) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: Who controls the evidence presentation system at trial? The Judge and courtroom deputy have full control of the system. [Courtroom Technology](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/pdf/Courtroom%20Training%20Power%20Point.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/1390241) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390241) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390241) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3588/william-g-young/) - [Technology in the Courtroom | United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/courtroom-technology.htm) - [Courtroom Technology](https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/attorneys/pdf/Courtroom%20Training%20Power%20Point.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/3588/william-g-young/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-g-young", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-g-young", "name": "William G. 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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.