United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
(S.D.N.Y.)
Appeals to Second Circuit
Established September 24, 1789
Judges assigned 28
Chief judge Loretta A. Preska
Official site

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The Southern District is one of the most influential and active federal district courts in the United States, largely because of its jurisdiction over New York's major financial centers. The current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York is Preet Bharara.

Contents

Jurisdiction

The Court's jurisdiction comprises the following counties: New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. Courthouses are located in Manhattan, White Plains, and Middletown.

History

The United States District Court for the District of New York was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789.[1][2] It existed for nearly twenty-five years before, on April 9, 1814, New York was divided into Northern and Southern Districts by 3 Stat. 120.[1][2] The subdivision of the district was reportedly instigated by Matthias Burnett Tallmadge, out of antipathy for fellow district judge William P. Van Ness.[3] These Districts were later further subdivided with the creation of Eastern District on February 25, 1865 by 13 Stat. 438,[2] and the Western District on May 12, 1900, by 31 Stat. 175.[2]

For the first hundred years of its existence, the case load of the District was dominated first by admiralty cases, and then by a mix of admiralty and bankruptcy cases.[3]

Judges

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has 28 authorized judgeships, filled by judges appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Twenty Four judges who have taken senior status are eligible to continue hearing cases. As of June 1, 2009, the Chief Judge of the District is Judge Loretta A. Preska, succeeding Judge Kimba Wood, who assumed senior status.

The District Judges (active and senior) sitting are:

Name Appointed Appointed by
Chief Judge Loretta A. Preska 1992   George H. W. Bush
District Judge Deborah A. Batts 1994   Bill Clinton
District Judge John G. Koeltl 1994   Bill Clinton
District Judge Barbara S. Jones 1995   Bill Clinton
District Judge Colleen McMahon 1998   Bill Clinton
District Judge William H. Pauley 1998   Bill Clinton
District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald 1999   Bill Clinton
District Judge Laura Taylor Swain 2000   Bill Clinton
District Judge George B. Daniels 2000   Bill Clinton
District Judge P. Kevin Castel 2003   George W. Bush
District Judge Richard J. Holwell 2003   George W. Bush
District Judge Kenneth M. Karas 2004   George W. Bush
District Judge Paul A. Crotty 2005   George W. Bush
District Judge Richard Sullivan 2007   George W. Bush
District Judge Cathy Seibel 2008   George W. Bush
District Judge Paul G. Gardephe 2008   George W. Bush
District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti 2011   Barack Obama
District Judge J. Paul Oetken 2011   Barack Obama
District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer 2011   Barack Obama
District Judge Alison J. Nathan 2011   Barack Obama
District Judge Katherine B. Forrest 2011   Barack Obama
District Judge Edgardo Ramos 2011   Barack Obama
District Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. 2011   Barack Obama
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Senior District Judge Thomas P. Griesa 1972   Richard Nixon
Senior District Judge Kevin Thomas Duffy 1972   Richard Nixon
Senior District Judge Richard Owen 1973   Richard Nixon
Senior District Judge Charles S. Haight, Jr. 1976   Gerald Ford
Senior District Judge Leonard B. Sand 1978   Jimmy Carter
Senior District Judge Robert W. Sweet 1978   Jimmy Carter
Senior District Judge John F. Keenan 1983   Ronald Reagan
Senior District Judge Peter K. Leisure 1984   Ronald Reagan
Senior District Judge Louis L. Stanton 1985   Ronald Reagan
Senior District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum 1986   Ronald Reagan
Senior District Judge Kimba Wood 1987   Ronald Reagan
Senior District Judge Robert P. Patterson, Jr. 1988   Ronald Reagan
Senior District Judge Lawrence M. McKenna 1990   George H. W. Bush
Senior District Judge Harold Baer, Jr. 1994   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Denise Cote 1994   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan 1994   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin 1994   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Sidney H. Stein 1995   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Jed S. Rakoff 1996   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Alvin Hellerstein 1998   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Richard M. Berman 1998   Bill Clinton
Senior District Judge Victor Marrero 1999   Bill Clinton

Vacancies and pending nominations

# Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Nominated
1 Hellerstein, AlvinAlvin Hellerstein Senior status 02011-01-31 January 31, 2011 Furman, Jesse M.Jesse M. Furman 02011-06-07 June 7, 2011
2 Kaplan, Lewis A.Lewis A. Kaplan Senior status 02011-02-01 February 1, 2011 Abrams, RonnieRonnie Abrams 02011-07-28 July 28, 2011
3 Scheindlin, ShiraShira Scheindlin Senior status 02011-08-16 August 16, 2011 N/A N/A
4 Berman, Richard M.Richard M. Berman Senior status 02011-09-11 September 11, 2011 N/A N/A
5 Cote, DeniseDenise Cote Senior status 02011-12-15 December 15, 2011 N/A N/A

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 386.
  2. ^ a b c d U.S. District Courts of New York, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ a b H. Paul Burak, History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (1962).

See also

External links