---
title: "William Harold Albritton III | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-harold-albritton-iii"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# William Harold Albritton III

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
- State: Alabama
- 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

- He held the role of Chief Judge of the Middle District of Alabama from 1998 to 2004
- Judge, District Court, M.D. Alabama, 1991-2004
- Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

### Education

- University of Alabama School of Law in, participating in the Alabama Law Review and the Farrah Order of Jurisprudence (now Order of the Coif), United States Courts — LL.B. (1960)
- He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama in 1959, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, and the Jasons Senior Men's Honorary, and held the role of Vice-President of the Student Government Association United States Courts.

### Additional information

- He assumed senior status on May 17, 2004.
- received his commission on May 14, 1991.
- Private practice, Andalusia, AL, 1962-1991
- Private practice, Andalusia, Alabama, 1962-1991
- U.S. Army Reserve, 1962-1968
- U.S. Army captain, JAG Corps, 1960-1962
- Judge W. Harold Albritton III, born December 19, 1936, in Andalusia, Alabama, is a senior federal judge serving.
- Date of birth: 1936-01-01
- overseeing the construction of the new Federal Courthouse complex in Montgomery.
- Birth place: Andalusia, AL

## 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/1377071)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377071)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377071)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/71/william-harold-albritton-iii/)
- [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/71/william-harold-albritton-iii/)
- [Judge William Harold Albritton III](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377071)
- [Wikidata: William Harold Albritton III](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8010892)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 |
| 2y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 |
| 5y | 179 | 179 | 3.2 | 179 |
| 10y | 786 | 786 | 2.9 | 786 |

Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/


## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. 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.
