--- title: "William M. Nickerson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-nickerson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # William M. Nickerson U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland - State: Maryland - 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 - Retired Senior United States District Judge for the District of Maryland, serving from 1990 until his retirement in 2017 - Judge, District Court, D. Maryland, 1990-2002 - Associate judge, Maryland Circuit Court, Baltimore County, 1985-1990 - In 1985, he was appointed Associate Judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, a role he held for 15 years - He held the role of a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant (1955–1959) after completing Officer Candidate School. ### Education - University of Maryland School of Law (now Francis King Carey School of Law) — 1962 - He then studied at the University of Maryland School of Law, graduating with an — LL.B. (1962) - University of Virginia-Main Campus — B.A. (1955) ### Additional information - Retired from the bench on September 30, 2017 - Served in active status until June 11, 2002, when he assumed senior status. - On January 24, 1990, President George H. W. Bush nominated Nickerson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, replacing Herbert F. Murray. - Confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 1990 and commissioned on May 14, 1990. - Private practice, Baltimore, MD, 1962-1985 - Private practice, Baltimore, Maryland, 1962-1985 - After law school, Nickerson practiced law in Baltimore from 1962 to 1985. - Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission (1984–85) and was chairman of the Maryland Bar Association Committee on Ethics (1983–84). - Nickerson was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1962. - Born December 6, 1933, Baltimore, Maryland. - Date of birth: 1933-01-01 - He was also active in community service, including leadership roles in the Baltimore Rotary Club and his church’s board of trustees - Birth place: Baltimore, MD ## 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: Jury Evidence Recording System (JERS) . The District has two Jury Evidence Recording System (JERS) equipment in each division. JERS allows for jurors to view exhibits electronically in the jury deliberation room. [Courthouse/Courtroom Technology | District of Maryland | United States District Court](https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/courthousecourtroom-technology) 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/1385716) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385716) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385716) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2407/william-m-nickerson/) - [Courthouse/Courtroom Technology | District of Maryland | United States District Court](https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/courthousecourtroom-technology) - [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/2407/william-m-nickerson/) - [Judge William M. Nickerson](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385716) - [Wikidata: William M. Nickerson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8014917) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-nickerson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-nickerson", "name": "William M. Nickerson | KnowJudges", "description": "William M. Nickerson, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-nickerson#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-nickerson#judge", "name": "William M. 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Nickerson", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-nickerson" } ] } ] } ``` ## 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 | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 10y | 6 | 6 | Not available | 6 | 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.