| United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.) |
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| Appeals to | Second Circuit |
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| Established | April 9, 1814 |
| 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).
Its 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. The current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York is Preet Bharara, a graduate of Columbia University School of Law. Courthouses are located in Manhattan and White Plains.
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Jurisdiction
The court shares geographic jurisdiction over New York City with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, which manages Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, and Richmond (Staten Island) counties, along with Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island.
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. According to Louis Freeh, the U.S. Attorneys for the S.D.N.Y. have traditionally exhibited such an aggressive prosecution style that there is a joke around the U.S. Department of Justice that S.D.N.Y. stands for the "Sovereign District of New York."[1]
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.[2][3] 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.[2][3] The subdivision of the district was reportedly instigated by Matthias Burnett Tallmadge, out of antipathy for fellow district judge William P. Van Ness.[4] These Districts were later further subdivided with the creation of Eastern District on February 25, 1865 by 13 Stat. 438,[3] and the Western District on May 12, 1900, by 31 Stat. 175.[3]
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.[4]
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. One seat is currently vacant. Sixteen 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 as of 2009 are:
| Name | Appointed | Appointed by |
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| Chief Judge Loretta A. Preska | 1992 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Senior District Judge Thomas P. Griesa | 1972 | Richard Nixon | |
| Senior District Judge Robert L. Carter | 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 | |
| District Judge Deborah A. Batts | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge John G. Koeltl | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Denny Chin | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Denise Cote | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin | 1994 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Sidney H. Stein | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Barbara S. Jones | 1995 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Jed S. Rakoff | 1996 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Alvin Hellerstein | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Colleen McMahon | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Richard M. Berman | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge William H. Pauley | 1998 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald | 1999 | Bill Clinton | |
| District Judge Victor Marrero | 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 Stephen C. Robinson | 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 | |
Nominations & Vacancies
- On June 1, 2009, a vacancy was created in the District due to the decision of Judge Kimba Wood to assume senior status. No replacement nomination is pending at this time.
- On September 17, 2009, a second vacancy was created due to the elevation of Judge Gerard E. Lynch to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. No replacement nomination is pending at this time.
- On October 6, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Denny Chin to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Should he be confirmed, a third vacancy would be created.
Footnotes
- ^ Louis J. Freeh and Howard Means, My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror (New York: Macmillan, 2006), 118.
- ^ a b Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 386.
- ^ a b c d U.S. District Courts of New York, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ a b H. Paul Burak, History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (1962).
External links
- Official website for the U.S. District Court for the SDNY
- Official website for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the SDNY
- Official website for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the SDNY
- Official website of the Southern District Court Reporters
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