---
title: "William K. Sessions III | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-k-sessions-iii"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# William K. Sessions III

U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont
- State: Vermont
- 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

- U.S. District Judge for Vermont; nominated by President Bill Clinton on June 30, 1995, to succeed Fred I. Parker, confirmed August 11 and commissioned August 14, 1995
- Private practitioner in Middlebury and adjunct professor at Vermont Law School, 1978–1995
- Addison County public defender, 1974–1978
- Law clerk to Addison County District Judge Hilton Dier in 1973

### Education

- George Washington University Law School — J.D. (1972)
- Middlebury College — B.A. (1969)

### Additional information

- Chief judge, 2002–2010; assumed senior status June 15, 2014.
- Judicial Conference of the United States member, 2007–2010.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission member, 1999–2010; vice-chair, 1999–2009; chair, 2009–2010.
- In 2007, rejected the auto industry's effort to block state vehicle-emissions regulation in litigation involving the Sierra Club, Vermont and New York, permitting implementation of California's Clean Car Standards.
- Campaign manager for Patrick Leahy's 1992 U.S. Senate campaign.
- U.S. Army Reserve first lieutenant, 1972–1977, including active duty in 1972–1973.
- Born February 9, 1947, in Hartford, Connecticut.

## 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

### presentation procedure

Scope: courtwide

Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge.

Evidence excerpt: Home . Overview of Rutland's Evidence Presentation System . The Evidence Presentation System was designed to promote and enhance the presentation and dissemination of exhibits and evidence in the courtroom.

[Overview of Rutland's Evidence Presentation System | DISTRICT OF VERMONT | United States District Court](https://www.vtd.uscourts.gov/overview-rutlands-evidence-presentation-system)
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/1387601)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387601)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387601)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2908/william-k-sessions-iii/)
- [Overview of Rutland's Evidence Presentation System | DISTRICT OF VERMONT | United States District Court](https://www.vtd.uscourts.gov/overview-rutlands-evidence-presentation-system)
- [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/2908/william-k-sessions-iii/)
- [Judge William K. Sessions III](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387601)
- [Wikidata: William K. Sessions III](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8013840)
- [Sessions, William K. III | Federal Judicial Center](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/sessions-william-k-iii)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2908/william-k-sessions-iii/)
- [Judge William K. Sessions III](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387601)
- [Wikidata: William K. Sessions III](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8013840)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-k-sessions-iii",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-k-sessions-iii",
      "name": "William K. Sessions III | KnowJudges",
      "description": "William K. Sessions III, U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-k-sessions-iii#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-k-sessions-iii#judge",
      "name": "William K. Sessions III",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-k-sessions-iii",
      "jobTitle": "Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387601",
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2908/william-k-sessions-iii/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1947",
      "birthPlace": "Hartford, CT",
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Middlebury College"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "George Washington University Law School"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Vermont",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/vermont"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "William K. Sessions III",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-k-sessions-iii"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 37 | 3 | Not available | 3 |
| 2y | 61 | 11 | 2 | 11 |
| 5y | 193 | 114 | 5.7 | 114 |
| 10y | 448 | 365 | 8.5 | 365 |

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.