Carl John Nichols at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Jurisdiction
- District of Columbia · Federal
- Judicial service
- June 25, 2019–present
Carl John Nichols
Judge · U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Available research
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Biography
Professional career
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Laurence H. Silberman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1996-1997
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States, 1997-1998
- Professional Career: Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1998-2005, 2010-2019
- Private practice, Washington, D.C., 2010-2019
- principal deputy associate attorney general, 2008-2009
- deputy assistant attorney general, Civil Division, 2005-2008
- U.S. Department of Justice, 2005-2009
- Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1998-2005
Judicial service
- Law Clerk, Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, 1996-1997
- Law Clerk, Supreme Court of the United States, 1997-1998
- Judge, District Court, District of Columbia, 2019-present
- Professional Career: U.S. Department of Justice, 2005-2009; deputy assistant attorney general, Civil Division, 2005-2008; principal deputy associate attorney general, 2008-2009
Education
- Dartmouth College · A.B., 1992
- University of Chicago Law School · J.D., 1996
Personal record
Born 1970 · Rhinebeck, NY
Courtroom rules and guidance
Civil Remote Testimony
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.
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 ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
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 ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/6489111CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8611/carl-john-nichols/Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts