# United States District Court for the Northern District of New York

The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (in case citations, N.D.N.Y.) serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. Appeals from the Northern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which has jurisdiction over the four districts of New York, the District of Connecticut and the District of Vermont (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit). The U.S. attorney for the district is Carla B. Freedman since October 8, 2021.
Its jurisdiction comprises the counties of Albany, Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, and Washington.
The court's main offices are in Syracuse, however, the court has additional offices in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, and Utica. The court also maintains facilities in Watertown. The court accepts filings from members of the bar through an automated case management system CM/ECF over the Internet.

## History

The first federal court district formed under the sovereignty of the United States was the District of New York. The District Court for the District of New York convened on November 3, 1789, with Judge James Duane presiding. On April 9, 1814, that original district split into the Northern and Southern Districts of New York; the first federal judge of the District Court for the Northern District of New York was Matthias Burnett Tallmadge. The Northern District's western area split off in 1900 and became the Western District of New York. The Northern District now covers thirty-two counties in upstate New York, and it shares its long northern border with Canada.

## Current judges

As of December 9, 2024:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 27 | Chief Judge | Brenda K. Sannes | Syracuse | 1958 | 2014–present | 2022–present | — | Obama |
| 26 | District Judge | Mae D'Agostino | Albany | 1954 | 2011–present | — | — | Obama |
| 28 | District Judge | Anne M. Nardacci | Albany | 1977 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 29 | District Judge | Elizabeth C. Coombe | Syracuse | 1967 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 30 | District Judge | Anthony Brindisi | Utica | 1978 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 17 | Senior Judge | Thomas James McAvoy | Binghamton | 1938 | 1986–2003 | 1993–2000 | 2003–present | Reagan |
| 19 | Senior Judge | Frederick Scullin | Syracuse | 1939 | 1992–2006 | 2000–2006 | 2006–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 21 | Senior Judge | Lawrence E. Kahn | Albany | 1937 | 1996–2007 | — | 2007–present | Clinton |
| 23 | Senior Judge | David N. Hurd | Utica | 1937 | 1999–2024 | — | 2024–present | Clinton |
| 25 | Senior Judge | Glenn T. Suddaby | Syracuse | 1956 | 2008–2024 | 2015–2022 | 2024–present | G.W. Bush |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Matthias B. Tallmadge | NY | 1774–1819 | 1814–1819 | — | — | Jefferson/Operation of law | resignation |
| 2 | Roger Skinner | NY | 1773–1825 | 1819–1825 | — | — | Monroe | death |
| 3 | Alfred Conkling | NY | 1789–1874 | 1825–1852 | — | — | J.Q. Adams | resignation |
| 4 | Nathan K. Hall | NY | 1810–1874 | 1852–1874 | — | — | Fillmore | death |
| 5 | William James Wallace | NY | 1837–1917 | 1874–1882 | — | — | Grant | elevation to 2d Cir. |
| 6 | Alfred Conkling Coxe Sr. | NY | 1847–1923 | 1882–1902 | — | — | Arthur | elevation to 2d Cir. |
| 7 | George W. Ray | NY | 1844–1925 | 1902–1925 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Frank Cooper | NY | 1869–1946 | 1920–1941 | — | 1941–1946 | Wilson | death |
| 9 | Frederick Howard Bryant | NY | 1877–1945 | 1927–1945 | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 10 | Stephen W. Brennan | NY | 1893–1968 | 1942–1963 | 1948–1963 | 1963–1968 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 11 | Edward S. Kampf | NY | 1900–1971 | 1946–1948 | — | — | Truman | resignation |
| 12 | James Thomas Foley | NY | 1910–1990 | 1949–1980 | 1963–1980 | 1980–1990 | Truman | death |
| 13 | Edmund Port | NY | 1906–1986 | 1964–1976 | — | 1976–1986 | L. Johnson | death |
| 14 | Howard G. Munson | NY | 1924–2008 | 1976–1990 | 1980–1988 | 1990–2008 | Ford | death |
| 15 | Neal Peters McCurn | NY | 1926–2014 | 1979–1993 | 1988–1993 | 1993–2014 | Carter | death |
| 16 | Roger Miner | NY | 1934–2012 | 1981–1985 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 2d Cir. |
| 18 | Constantine George Cholakis | NY | 1930–1996 | 1986–1996 | — | 1996 | Reagan | death |
| 20 | Rosemary S. Pooler | NY | 1938–2023 | 1994–1998 | — | — | Clinton | elevation to 2d Cir. |
| 22 | Norman A. Mordue | NY | 1942–2022 | 1998–2013 | 2006–2011 | 2013–2022 | Clinton | death |
| 24 | Gary L. Sharpe | NY | 1947–2024 | 2004–2016 | 2011–2015 | 2016–2024 | G.W. Bush | death |
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 20, 1805, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 23, 1805, and received commission on January 17, 1806.
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of New York.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 3, 1820, confirmed by the Senate on January 5, 1820, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 13, 1825, confirmed by the Senate on December 14, 1825, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 2, 1902, confirmed by the Senate on December 8, 1902, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 6, 1927, confirmed by the Senate on December 19, 1927, and received commission the same day.

## Chief judges

Chief Judge :
| Brennan | 1948–1963 |
| Foley | 1963–1980 |
| Munson | 1980–1988 |
| McCurn | 1988–1993 |
| McAvoy | 1993–2000 |
| Scullin | 2000–2006 |
| Mordue | 2006–2011 |
| Sharpe | 2011–2015 |
| Suddaby | 2015–2022 |
| Sannes | 2022–present |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Seat reassigned from the District of New York on April 9, 1814 ||
| Tallmadge | 1814–1819 |
| Skinner | 1819–1825 |
| Conkling | 1825–1852 |
| Hall | 1852–1874 |
| Wallace | 1874–1882 |
| Coxe, Sr. | 1882–1902 |
| Ray | 1902–1925 |
| Seat abolished on January 10, 1925 pursuant to the provisions of 40 Stat. 1156 ||
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on June 3, 1920 pursuant to the provisions 40 Stat. 1156 (temporary) ||||
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 1 on January 10, 1925 ||||
| Cooper | 1920–1941 |
| Brennan | 1942–1963 |
| Port | 1964–1976 |
| Munson | 1976–1990 |
| Pooler | 1994–1998 |
| Mordue | 1998–2013 |
| Sannes | 2014–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on March 3, 1927 by 44 Stat. 1374 ||||
| Bryant | 1927–1945 |
| Kampf | 1946–1948 |
| Foley | 1949–1980 |
| Miner | 1981–1985 |
| Cholakis | 1986–1996 |
| Hurd | 1999–2024 |
| Brindisi | 2024–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| McCurn | 1979–1993 |
| Kahn | 1996–2007 |
| Suddaby | 2008–2024 |
| Coombe | 2024–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| McAvoy | 1986–2003 |
| Sharpe | 2004–2016 |
| Nardacci | 2022–present |
Seat 6 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary) ||||
| Seat made permanent on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758 ||||
| Scullin, Jr. | 1992–2006 |
| D'Agostino | 2011–present |