Bredar, James K., 1957-

James Kelleher Bredar (born February 6, 1957) is a United States District Judge in the District of Maryland, a position he has held since 2010. He became Chief Judge in 2017. He previously served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the same district.

Bredar was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1957, and he was raised in Denver, Colorado where he attended parochial and public schools. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 from Harvard College and a Juris Doctor degree in 1982 from the Georgetown University Law Center. From 1981 until 1982 he was a Visiting Student at the Yale Law School.

Bredar served as a United States Magistrate Judge from 1998 until 2010. On April 21, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Bredar to become United States District Judge for the District of Maryland. His nomination was approved by the full Senate of the 111th United States Congress on December 16, 2010. He received his commission on December 17, 2010 and was sworn in on December 22, 2010. He has served as Chief Judge since October 6, 2017.