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United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Eastern District of New York
Second Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 16
Judges: 16
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Margo Brodie
Active judges: Margo Brodie, Gary R. Brown, Sanket Bulsara, Pamela Ki Mai Chen, Nusrat Choudhury, LaShann Moutique DeArcy Hall, Ann M. Donnelly, Hector Gonzalez, Diane Gujarati, Eric Komitee, Rachel Kovner, Roslynn Mauskopf, Orelia Merchant, Natasha Merle, Nina Morrison, Ramon Reyes Jr. Senior judges: Carol Amon, Joan Azrack, Frederic Block, Brian Cogan, Raymond Dearie, Nicholas Garaufis, Nina Gershon, Leo Glasser, Denis Hurley, Dora Irizarry, Edward Korman, William Kuntz, Kiyo Matsumoto, Allyne Ross, Joanna Seybert, Eric Vitaliano

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is one of 94 United States district courts. The courthouses are located in Brooklyn and Central Islip. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in Lower Manhattan at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, out of the court's 16 judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Roslynn Mauskopf	George W. Bush	October 18, 2007 -	Brandeis University, 1979	Georgetown University Law Center, 1982
Margo Brodie	Barack Obama (D)	February 29, 2012 -	St. Francis College, 1988	University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1991
Pamela Ki Mai Chen	Barack Obama (D)	March 5, 2013 -	University of Michigan, 1983	Georgetown University Law Center, 1986
Ann M. Donnelly	Barack Obama (D)	October 21, 2015 -	University of Michigan, 1981	The Ohio State University, Moritz School of Law, 1984
LaShann Moutique DeArcy Hall	Barack Obama (D)	November 17, 2015 -	Antioch College, 1992	Howard University School of Law, 2000
Rachel Kovner	Donald Trump (R)	October 17, 2019 -	Harvard College, 2001	Stanford Law School, 2006
Eric Komitee	Donald Trump (R)	December 5, 2019 -	Emory University, 1992	New York University Law School, 1995
Gary R. Brown	Donald Trump (R)	December 31, 2019 -	Columbia College, 1985	Yale Law School, 1988
Diane Gujarati	Donald Trump (R)	September 18, 2020 -	Barnard College, 1990	Yale Law School, 1995
Hector Gonzalez	Joe Biden (D)	April 18, 2022 -	Manhattan College, 1985	University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1988
Nina Morrison	Joe Biden (D)	August 11, 2022 -	Yale University, 1992	New York University School of Law, 1998
Orelia Merchant	Joe Biden (D)	May 12, 2023 -	Dillard University, 1992	Tulane University Law School, 1998
Nusrat Choudhury	Joe Biden (D)	July 5, 2023 -	Columbia University, 1998	Yale Law School, 2006
Natasha Merle	Joe Biden (D)	August 11, 2023 -	University of Texas at Austin, 2005	New York University Law School, 2008
Ramon Reyes Jr.	Joe Biden (D)	November 13, 2023 -	Cornell, 1988	Brooklyn Law, 1992
Sanket Bulsara	Joe Biden (D)	December 20, 2024 -	Harvard University, 1998	Harvard Law School, 2002

Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

Democrat appointed: 11
Republican appointed: 5

Senior judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Leo Glasser	Ronald Reagan (R)	July 1, 1993 -	The City College of New York, 1943	Brooklyn Law, 1948
Denis Hurley	George H.W. Bush (R)	December 18, 2004 -	University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business, 1959	Fordham University School of Law, 1966
Frederic Block	Bill Clinton (D)	September 1, 2005 -	Indiana University, 1956	Cornell Law, 1959
Edward Korman	Ronald Reagan (R)	October 25, 2007 -	Brooklyn College, 1963	Brooklyn Law School, 1966
Nina Gershon	Bill Clinton (D)	October 16, 2008 -	Cornell, 1962	Yale Law, 1965
Raymond Dearie	Ronald Reagan (R)	April 3, 2011 -	Fairfield University, 1966	St. John's University School of Law, 1969
Allyne Ross	Bill Clinton (D)	April 5, 2011 -	Wellesley College, 1967	Harvard Law, 1970
Joanna Seybert	Bill Clinton (D)	January 13, 2014 -	University of Cincinnati, 1967	St. John's University School of Law, 1971
Nicholas Garaufis	Bill Clinton (D)	October 1, 2014 -	Columbia College, 1969	Columbia Law School, 1974
Carol Amon	George H.W. Bush (R)	November 30, 2016 -	College of William and Mary, 1968	University of Virginia School of Law, 1971
Eric Vitaliano	George W. Bush (R)	February 28, 2017 -	Fordham College, 1968	New York University School of Law, 1971
Dora Irizarry	George W. Bush (R)	January 26, 2020 -	Yale, 1976	Columbia University School of Law, 1979
Brian Cogan	George W. Bush (R)	June 12, 2020 -	University of Illinois, 1975	Cornell Law, 1979
William Kuntz	Barack Obama (D)	January 1, 2022 -	Harvard, 1972	Harvard Law, 1977
Kiyo Matsumoto	George W. Bush (R)	July 23, 2022 -	University of California, Berkeley, 1976	Georgetown University Law Center, 1981
Joan Azrack	Barack Obama (D)	December 19, 2024 -	Rutgers University, 1974	New York Law School, 1979

Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

Democrat appointed: 7
Republican appointed: 9

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.^[1]

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Arlene Lindsay	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	January 18, 1994 -	University of Dayton, 1968	New York University Law, 1975
Roanne Mann	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	March 7, 1994 -	Yale College, 1972	Stanford Law School, 1975
Cheryl Pollak	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	November 1, 1995 -	Princeton, 1975	University of Chicago Law, 1978
Lois Bloom	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	May 18, 2001 -	State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1981	State University of New York, Buffalo School of Law, 1985
Vera Scanlon	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	August 14, 2012 -	Columbia University	Yale University
Steven Locke	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	August 1, 2014 -	Tufts University	Hofstra University Law
Anne Shields	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	March 6, 2015 -	State University of New York, Stonybrook	St. John's University School of Law
Peggy Kuo	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	October 9, 2015 -	Yale University, 1985	Harvard Law School, 1988
Steven Tiscione	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	March 21, 2016 -	Hofstra University, 1999	Yale Law School, 2002
James R. Cho	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	April 5, 2021 -	University of Michigan	University of Minnesota Law School
James Wicks	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	April 26, 2021 -	Wheeling Jesuit College	St. John's University School of Law
Taryn A. Merkl	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	May 3, 2021 -	University of Michigan	Columbia Law School
Marcia Henry	United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York	May 10, 2021 -	University of Pennsylvania	New York University School of Law

Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.^[2]

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.^[3]^[4]^[5]

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.^[6]

Roslynn Mauskopf - (2020-2021)
Dora Irizarry - (2016-2020)
Carol Amon - (2011 - 2016)
Raymond Dearie - (2007 - 2011)
Edward Korman - (2000 - 2007)
Charles Sifton - (1995 - 2000)
Thomas Platt - (1988 - 1995)
Jack Weinstein - (1980 - 1988)
Jacob Mishler - (1969 - 1980)
Joseph Zavatt - (1962 - 1969)
Walter Bruchhausen - (1959 - 1962)
Robert Alexander Inch - (1948 - 1958)

Former judges

For information on judges of the Eastern District of New York, see former federal judges of the Eastern District of New York.

Jurisdiction

The Counties of the Eastern District of New York (click for larger map)

The Eastern District of New York has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of New York consists of all the following counties in the eastern part of the state of New York.

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2024.

Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

Caseload statistics explanation
Term	Explanation
Cases filed and terminated	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated.
Average time from filing to disposition	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil).
Starting case load	The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year.
Cases filed	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year.
Cases terminated	The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year.
Remaining cases	The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year.
Median time (Criminal)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal.
Median time (Civil)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition.
Three-year civil cases	The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year.
Vacant posts	The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant.
Trial/Post	The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions.
Source: United States Courts, "Explanation of the Judicial Caseload Profiles for United States District Courts," accessed September 25, 2018

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York caseload stats, 2010-2023
Year	Cases Filed	Cases Terminated	Cases Pending	Number of Judgeships	Vacant Judgeship Months	Average Total Filings per Judgeship	Trials Completed per Judgeship	Median time from filing to disposition, criminal	Median time from filing to disposition, civil	Three-year civil cases (#)	Three-year civil cases (%)
2010	7,986	7,826	10,934	15	12	532	20	18	9	1,224	16
2011	7,610	7,526	9,747	15	27	507	22	15	9	1,155	15
2012	7,838	7,744	11,185	15	14	523	20	17	9	1,184	15
2013	8,817	7,813	12,156	15	2	588	18	22	9	1,218	14
2014	8,887	8,174	12,744	15	15	592	17	21	9	1,210	12
2015	8,854	8,785	12,771	15	29	590	16	23	10	1,331	14
2016	8,521	8,324	12,911	15	23	568	17	23	9	1,897	19
2017	9,069	9,314	12,672	15	46	605	16	19	9	1,759	18
2018	8,946	9,263	12,362	15	48	596	13	22	9	1,465	16
2019	8,600	8,495	12,192	15	52	573	14	22	8	1,594	17
2020	7,433	7,094	12,467	15	27	496	5	21	9	1,725	19
2021	8,352	8,428	12,353	15	23	557	9	27	7	1,890	21
2022	9,113	9,106	12,301	15	44	608	13	29	6	2,031	23
2023	10,506	9,334	13,370	15	34	700	11	31	5	2,012	20
Average	8,609	8,373	12,155	15	28	574	15	22	8	1,550	17

History

The Judiciary Act of 1789 organized the United States District Court for the District of New York as one federal district court with one judgeship, which was initially filled by James Duane. The District of New York, in turn, was assigned to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eastern Circuit. Both courts, the district and the circuit, became defunct when the Judiciary Act of 1801 reorganized the federal courts into six circuits. At that time, the District of New York was assigned to the Second Circuit, where all New York federal district courts have since remained.^[7]

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Eastern District of New York:^[7]

Year	Statute	Total Seats
September 1789	1 Stat. 73	1 (District of New York)
February 25, 1865	13 Stat. 438	1 (Creation of court)
June 25, 1910	36 Stat. 838	2
September 14, 1922	42 Stat. 837	3 (1 temporary)
February 28, 1929	45 Stat. 1409	5 (1 temporary)
August 19, 1935	49 Stat. 659	6
May 19, 1961	75 Stat. 80	8
June 2, 1970	84 Stat. 294	9
October 20, 1978	92 Stat. 1629	11
July 10, 1984	98 Stat. 333	12
December 1, 1990	104 Stat. 5089	15
February 1, 2021	28 U.S. § 133	16

Noteworthy cases

For a searchable list of notable decisions, please see Decisions for the Eastern District of New York.

• Rhino horn trafficking case (2014) Judge(s):John Gleeson (U.S. v. Slattery)	Click for summary→
On January 10, 2014, Judge John Gleeson sentenced Michael Slattery, Jr. to 14 months in prison for his role in a rhinoceros horn trafficking ring. In the underlying case, Slattery, an Irish national, was arrested in 2013, three years after he sold two sets of rhinoceros horns to a collector in New York for $50,000. The horns were later sold to a third party for $108,000. Slattery procured one of the sets after asking a homeless man to purchase a mounted black rhino head for him at a taxidermy auction in Texas. It is illegal for nonresidents to make such purchases, and Slattery was criminally charged accordingly. On November 5, 2013, Slattery pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking. The prosecution requested a two-year sentence, and Slattery's defense attorney requested that his client be released, as he had already served four months while awaiting trial. Slattery claimed that he "didn't understand that this was going to end up with other animals getting killed," but Judge Gleeson sentenced him to 14 months. Gleeson noted that he'd been on the bench for a long time, but that he'd "never seen a rhino horn case before."^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]

• Bonanno crime family murder and racketeering case (2011) Judge(s):Nicholas Garaufis (US v. Basciano, No. 05-CR-060 (NGG))	Click for summary→
Judge Garufis presided in the murder and racketeering trial of Vincent Basciano, formerly acting boss of the Bonanno crime family. Basciano was convicted of the murder of a mob associate and attempting to kill federal prosecutor Greg Andres.^[12] As a result of the conviction, Basciano was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.^[13]

• Bonanno crime family murder and racketeering case (2011)
Judge(s):Nicholas Garaufis (US v. Basciano, No. 05-CR-060 (NGG))

Click for summary→

Judge Garufis presided in the murder and racketeering trial of Vincent Basciano, formerly acting boss of the Bonanno crime family. Basciano was convicted of the murder of a mob associate and attempting to kill federal prosecutor Greg Andres.^[12]

As a result of the conviction, Basciano was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.^[13]

• FDNY discrimination case (2009-2011) Judge(s):Nicholas Garaufis (US and The Vulcan Society, Inc v. The City of New York, et al, No. 07-cv-2067 (NGG)(RLM))	Click for summary→
On July 22, 2009, Judge Garufis ruled against the City of New York for using selection tests that discriminated against black and Hispanic applicants to the Fire Department.^[14] The U.S. Department of Justice sued New York City after the Vulcan Society, a black fire fighters advocacy group, filed a complaint over the department's hiring practices.^[14] In another ruling involving the same plaintiffs, the Vulcan Society, the judge issued a ruling on January 13, 2010 that the City of New York engaged in widespread discriminatory hiring practices of its firefighters. Garafuis wrote in his ruling that the discriminatory hiring practices stems back all the way to the 1960s and described it as "a persistent stain on the Fire Department’s record."^[15] In November, 2011, Judge Garaufis appointed Mark S. Cohen, a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, to serve as a special bias monitor for the FDNY to ensure fair treatment for minorities in the department. The appointment came after Judge Garaufis ruled that judicial oversight of the FDNY was necessary because of the, in his words, "pattern and practice of discrimination against black firefighter candidates."^[16]

• FDNY discrimination case (2009-2011)
Judge(s):Nicholas Garaufis (US and The Vulcan Society, Inc v. The City of New York, et al, No. 07-cv-2067 (NGG)(RLM))

Click for summary→

On July 22, 2009, Judge Garufis ruled against the City of New York for using selection tests that discriminated against black and Hispanic applicants to the Fire Department.^[14]

The U.S. Department of Justice sued New York City after the Vulcan Society, a black fire fighters advocacy group, filed a complaint over the department's hiring practices.^[14]

In another ruling involving the same plaintiffs, the Vulcan Society, the judge issued a ruling on January 13, 2010 that the City of New York engaged in widespread discriminatory hiring practices of its firefighters. Garafuis wrote in his ruling that the discriminatory hiring practices stems back all the way to the 1960s and described it as "a persistent stain on the Fire Department’s record."^[15]

In November, 2011, Judge Garaufis appointed Mark S. Cohen, a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, to serve as a special bias monitor for the FDNY to ensure fair treatment for minorities in the department. The appointment came after Judge Garaufis ruled that judicial oversight of the FDNY was necessary because of the, in his words, "pattern and practice of discrimination against black firefighter candidates."^[16]

• NY mental disabilities case (2010) Judge(s):Nicholas Garaufis (Disability Advocates, Inc v Paterson, et al, No. 03-CV-3209 (NGG))	Click for summary→
On September 8, 2009, Judge Garafuis ruled that New York State had to find new housing for 4,000 mentally handicapped citizens. The judge found that the State of New York put these citizens in what he called "poorly-run, seedy homes". The 210-page ruling issued by Garafuis found the state committed numerous violations under The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and gave health officials six weeks to come up with a plan for new housing.^[17] Later, Judge Garafuis ruled on March 2, 2010 that the State of New York must create 1,500 units of housing for the mentally handicapped every year until 2013. Officials overseeing housing for the mentally handicapped in New York State questioned the judge's ruling at a time when the state's resources were stretched thin due to a budget crisis.^[18]

• NY mental disabilities case (2010)
Judge(s):Nicholas Garaufis (Disability Advocates, Inc v Paterson, et al, No. 03-CV-3209 (NGG))

Click for summary→

On September 8, 2009, Judge Garafuis ruled that New York State had to find new housing for 4,000 mentally handicapped citizens. The judge found that the State of New York put these citizens in what he called "poorly-run, seedy homes". The 210-page ruling issued by Garafuis found the state committed numerous violations under The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and gave health officials six weeks to come up with a plan for new housing.^[17]

Later, Judge Garafuis ruled on March 2, 2010 that the State of New York must create 1,500 units of housing for the mentally handicapped every year until 2013. Officials overseeing housing for the mentally handicapped in New York State questioned the judge's ruling at a time when the state's resources were stretched thin due to a budget crisis.^[18]

• Teacher vulgarities (2010) Judge(s):Jack Weinstein	Click for summary→
On May 20, 2010, Judge Weinstien ruled that a New York City teacher should not been suspended for using vulgar, sexual language in a sex education class. The nearly three-year-old lawsuit came when the teacher was suspended for asking students to write down words used in sex which involved vulgar language. The judge found that New York City public schools had no authority over what teachers can say or not say in the classroom.^[19]

• Wrongful arrest (2009) Judge(s):Jack Weinstein	Click for summary→
Judge Weinstien was the presiding judge in a lawsuit that involved the wrongful arrest of two brothers when the New York Police Department was engaged in a narcotics bust. On November 30, 2009, the judge upheld a $10 million dollar jury verdict in favor of the two brothers as the New York Police appealed the jury verdict. ^[20]

• Bear Stearns (2009) Judge(s):Frederic Block	Click for summary→
In 2009, Judge Block presided in the trial of former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin. The executives were charged with securities fraud in connection to the collapse of the company in 2008 which led to JP Morgan Chase buying the company.^[21] A jury acquitted both Cioffi and Tannin of wrongdoing in November 2009. However, they settled a civil suit with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2012 by agreeing to pay approximately $1 million.^[22]^[23]

• Bear Stearns (2009)
Judge(s):Frederic Block

Click for summary→

In 2009, Judge Block presided in the trial of former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin. The executives were charged with securities fraud in connection to the collapse of the company in 2008 which led to JP Morgan Chase buying the company.^[21]

A jury acquitted both Cioffi and Tannin of wrongdoing in November 2009. However, they settled a civil suit with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2012 by agreeing to pay approximately $1 million.^[22]^[23]

• Native American cigarette sales (2009) Judge(s):Carol Amon (City of New York v. Golden Feather Smoke Shop, 597 F. 3d 115)	Click for summary→
Judge Amon ruled on August 25, 2009 that an Indian reservation could not sell cigarettes tax-free to the general public pending any further court action. The City of New York sued a group of cigarette vendors on the Poospatuck Indian Reservation over the missing tax revenue the untaxed cigarettes bring to New York City.^[24] On March 4, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit sent two questions to the New York Court of Appeals to answer to clarify state law as it pertains to the taxation of cigarettes on Native American Reservations.^[25] Because of this action, defendant Rodney Morrison charged that the New York State law in question was "unconstitutionally vague." The Second Circuit disagreed with that assessment and reinstated the racketeering conspiracy verdict.^[26]

• Native American cigarette sales (2009)
Judge(s):Carol Amon (City of New York v. Golden Feather Smoke Shop, 597 F. 3d 115)

Click for summary→

Judge Amon ruled on August 25, 2009 that an Indian reservation could not sell cigarettes tax-free to the general public pending any further court action. The City of New York sued a group of cigarette vendors on the Poospatuck Indian Reservation over the missing tax revenue the untaxed cigarettes bring to New York City.^[24]

On March 4, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit sent two questions to the New York Court of Appeals to answer to clarify state law as it pertains to the taxation of cigarettes on Native American Reservations.^[25]

Because of this action, defendant Rodney Morrison charged that the New York State law in question was "unconstitutionally vague." The Second Circuit disagreed with that assessment and reinstated the racketeering conspiracy verdict.^[26]

Noteworthy events

Federal Judicial Conference recommendation (2019)

In March 2019, the Federal Judicial Conference (FJC) recommended that two judgeships be added to the district.^[27] Based on FJC data, the district handled 539 weighted filings per judgeship from September 2017 to September 2018. Weighted filings are a specific metric used by the federal judiciary that accounts for the different amounts of time judges require to resolve types of civil and criminal cases. The national average in that period for weighted filings per judgeship was 513.^[28]

The FJC is the policy-making body for the United States federal courts system. It was first organized as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges in 1922.^[29] The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States serves as chair of the conference. The members of the conference are the chief judge of each judicial circuit, the Chief Judge of the Court of International Trade, and a district judge from each regional judicial circuit.^[30]

Federal courthouse

The court's main office is housed in the Theodore Roosevelt United States Courthouse in Brooklyn.^[31]

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.^[32]^[33]

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.^[34]

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through February 1 of the first year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, no president had made Article III judicial appointments.

Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.

Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.^[33]

Step	Candidacy Proceeds	Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President	President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee	President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate	Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation	Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation	Candidate becomes federal judge	Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.^[35]

External links

Footnotes

v • e U.S. Circuit Courts and District Courts

First Circuit	District of Maine • District of Massachusetts • District of New Hampshire • District of Puerto Rico • District of Rhode Island

Second Circuit	District of Connecticut • Eastern District of New York • Northern District of New York • Southern District of New York • Western District of New York • District of Vermont

Third Circuit	District of Delaware • District of New Jersey • Eastern District of Pennsylvania • Middle District of Pennsylvania • Western District of Pennsylvania

Fourth Circuit	District of Maryland • Eastern District of North Carolina • Middle District of North Carolina • Western District of North Carolina • District of South Carolina • Eastern District of Virginia • Western District of Virginia • Northern District of West Virginia • Southern District of West Virginia

Fifth Circuit	Eastern District of Louisiana • Middle District of Louisiana • Western District of Louisiana • Northern District of Mississippi • Southern District of Mississippi • Eastern District of Texas • Northern District of Texas • Southern District of Texas • Western District of Texas

Sixth Circuit	Eastern District of Kentucky • Western District of Kentucky • Eastern District of Michigan • Western District of Michigan • Northern District of Ohio • Southern District of Ohio • Eastern District of Tennessee • Middle District of Tennessee • Western District of Tennessee

Seventh Circuit	Central District of Illinois • Northern District of Illinois • Southern District of Illinois • Northern District of Indiana • Southern District of Indiana • Eastern District of Wisconsin • Western District of Wisconsin

Eighth Circuit	Eastern District of Arkansas • Western District of Arkansas • Northern District of Iowa • Southern District of Iowa • District of Minnesota • Eastern District of Missouri • Western District of Missouri • District of Nebraska • District of North Dakota • District of South Dakota

Ninth Circuit	District of Alaska • District of Arizona • Central District of California • Eastern District of California • Northern District of California • Southern District of California • District of Hawaii • District of Idaho • District of Montana • District of Nevada • District of Oregon • Eastern District of Washington • Western District of Washington

Tenth Circuit	District of Colorado • District of Kansas • District of New Mexico • Eastern District of Oklahoma • Northern District of Oklahoma • Western District of Oklahoma • District of Utah • District of Wyoming

Eleventh Circuit	Middle District of Alabama • Northern District of Alabama • Southern District of Alabama • Middle District of Florida • Northern District of Florida • Southern District of Florida • Middle District of Georgia • Northern District of Georgia • Southern District of Georgia

v • e

Federal judges who have served the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Active judges

Chief Judge: Margo Brodie • Roslynn Mauskopf • Ramon Reyes, Jr. • Ann M. Donnelly • Pamela Ki Mai Chen • Gary R. Brown • LaShann Moutique DeArcy Hall • Diane Gujarati • Eric Komitee • Rachel Kovner • Sanket Bulsara • Hector Gonzalez (New York) • Nina Morrison • Nusrat Choudhury • Natasha Merle • Orelia Merchant

Senior judges

Raymond Dearie • Leo Glasser • Denis Hurley • Edward Korman • Carol Amon • Brian Cogan • Nicholas Garaufis • Nina Gershon • Dora Irizarry • Kiyo Matsumoto • Allyne Ross • Joanna Seybert • Eric Vitaliano • Joan Azrack • Frederic Block • William Kuntz •

Magistrate judges

Lois Bloom • Arlene Lindsay • Roanne Mann • Cheryl Pollak • Ramon Reyes, Jr. • Vera Scanlon • Steven Locke • Peggy Kuo • Steven Tiscione • Anne Shields • James Wicks • James R. Cho • Taryn A. Merkl • Marcia Henry •

Former Article III judges

Sterling Johnson • Thomas Platt • Charles Sifton • Arthur Spatt • David Trager • Jack Weinstein • Leonard Wexler • Joseph Bianco • Sandra Feuerstein • John Gleeson • Sandra Townes • Frank Altimari • Charles Linnaeus Benedict • Joseph McLaughlin (Second Circuit) • Reena Raggi • George Pratt • Asa Wentworth Tenney • Edward Beers Thomas • Thomas Chatfield • Van Vechten Veeder • Edwin Louis Garvin • Marcus Beach Campbell • Robert Alexander Inch • Grover Moscowitz • Mortimer Byers • Clarence Galston • Matthew Abruzzo • John Bartels • Frederic Block • Henry Bramwell • Walter Bruchhausen • Mark Costantino • John Dooling • Orrin Judd • Jacob Mishler • Edward Neaher • Eugene Nickerson • Leo Rayfiel • George Rosling • Anthony Travia • Joseph Zavatt • Harold Kennedy (New York) •

Former Chief judges

Raymond Dearie • Edward Korman • Thomas Platt • Charles Sifton • Jack Weinstein • Carol Amon • Dora Irizarry • Roslynn Mauskopf • Robert Alexander Inch • Walter Bruchhausen • Jacob Mishler • Joseph Zavatt •

	v • e State of New York Albany (capital)
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