--- title: "William T. Lawrence | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-t-lawrence" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # William T. Lawrence U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana - State: Indiana - 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, S.D. Indiana, 2008-present - Senior U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008 and elevated to senior status in 2018 - District Judge: Nominated by President George W. Bush on February 14, 2008, to replace John Daniel Tinder; confirmed by the Senate on June 26, 2008, and commissioned June 30, 2008 - Magistrate Judge: Appointed in 2002 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, serving until 2008 - Presiding judge, Indiana Circuit Court, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, 1997-2002 - Master commissioner, Indiana Circuit Court, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, 1983-1997 - Public defender, Marion County [Indiana] Superior Court, 1974-1983 ### Education - Indiana University School of Law -- Indianapolis (now McKinney School of Law) — J.D. (1973) - Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law — J.D. (1973) - Indiana University — B.S. (1970) ### Additional information - Lawrence retired in 2019, with a ceremonial farewell held July 2, 2019, attended by judges, legal professionals, and community leaders - Senior Judge: Assumed senior status on July 1, 2018 - Private practice, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1973-1997 - Lawrence was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1947. - Date of birth: 1947-01-01 ## 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/1392741) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392741) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392741) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1872/william-t-lawrence/) - [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/1872/william-t-lawrence/) - [Judge William T. Lawrence](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392741) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-t-lawrence", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-t-lawrence", "name": "William T. Lawrence | KnowJudges", "description": "William T. Lawrence, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-03", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-t-lawrence#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-t-lawrence#judge", "name": "William T. 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Lawrence", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-t-lawrence" } ] } ] } ``` ## 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 | 1315 | 1315 | 5.8 | 1315 | 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.