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

The United States District Court for the Western District of New York (in case citations, W.D.N.Y.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the western parts of Upstate New York.
Appeals are taken to 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).

## Jurisdiction

The Western District of New York includes the following counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates. Cities within its jurisdiction include Buffalo, Rochester, and Elmira. From 1904 to 1916, the court met at the United States Post Office (Lockport, New York).
Buffalo Division comprises the following counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming.
Rochester Division comprises the following counties: Chemung, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates.
The United States government is represented in the district by the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York. As of February 22, 2025 the U.S. attorney is Joel L. Violanti.

## Current judges

As of July 31, 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 |
| 16 | Chief Judge | Elizabeth A. Wolford | Rochester | 1966 | 2013–present | 2021–present | — | Obama |
| 17 | District Judge | Lawrence J. Vilardo | Buffalo | 1955 | 2015–present | — | — | Obama |
| 18 | District Judge | John Sinatra | Buffalo | 1972 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 19 | District Judge | Meredith Vacca | Rochester | 1980 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 11 | Senior Judge | David G. Larimer | Rochester | 1944 | 1987–2009 | 1996–2002 | 2009–present | Reagan |
| 12 | Senior Judge | Richard Arcara | Buffalo | 1940 | 1988–2015 | 2003–2010 | 2015–present | Reagan |
| 13 | Senior Judge | William M. Skretny | Buffalo | 1945 | 1990–2015 | 2010–2015 | 2015–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 14 | Senior Judge | Charles J. Siragusa | Rochester | 1947 | 1997–2012 | — | 2012–present | Clinton |
| 15 | Senior Judge | Frank P. Geraci Jr. | Rochester | 1951 | 2013–2023 | 2015–2021 | 2023–present | Obama |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | John R. Hazel | NY | 1860–1951 | 1900–1931 | — | — | McKinley | retirement |
| 2 | Simon L. Adler | NY | 1867–1934 | 1927–1934 | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 3 | John Knight | NY | 1871–1955 | 1931–1955 | 1948–1955 | — | Hoover | death |
| 4 | Harlan W. Rippey | NY | 1874–1946 | 1934–1936 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | resignation |
| 5 | Harold P. Burke | NY | 1895–1981 | 1937–1981 | 1955–1967 | 1981 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 6 | Justin C. Morgan | NY | 1900–1959 | 1956–1959 | — | — | Eisenhower | death |
| 7 | John Oliver Henderson | NY | 1909–1974 | 1959–1974 | 1967–1974 | — | Eisenhower | death |
| 8 | John Thomas Curtin | NY | 1921–2017 | 1967–1989 | 1974–1989 | 1989–2017 | L. Johnson | death |
| 9 | John T. Elfvin | NY | 1917–2009 | 1974–1987 | — | 1987–2009 | Ford | death |
| 10 | Michael Anthony Telesca | NY | 1929–2020 | 1982–1996 | 1989–1995 | 1996–2020 | Reagan | death |
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 6, 1927, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 16, 1928, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 15, 1931, confirmed by the Senate on January 6, 1932, and received commission on January 9, 1932.

## Chief judges

Chief Judge :
| Knight | 1948–1955 |
| Burke | 1955–1967 |
| Henderson | 1967–1974 |
| Curtin | 1974–1989 |
| Telesca | 1989–1995 |
| Larimer | 1996–2002 |
| Arcara | 2003–2010 |
| Skretny | 2010–2015 |
| Geraci | 2015–2021 |
| Wolford | 2021–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 established on May 12, 1900 by 31 Stat. 175 ||||
| Hazel | 1900–1931 |
| Knight | 1931–1955 |
| Morgan | 1956–1959 |
| Henderson | 1959–1974 |
| Elfvin | 1974–1987 |
| Arcara | 1988–2015 |
| Vilardo | 2015–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on March 3, 1927 by 44 Stat. 1370 ||||
| Adler | 1927–1934 |
| Rippey | 1934–1936 |
| Burke | 1937–1981 |
| Telesca | 1982–1996 |
| Siragusa | 1997–2012 |
| Wolford | 2013–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||||
| Curtin | 1967–1989 |
| Skretny | 1990–2015 |
| Sinatra, Jr. | 2019–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 (temporary) ||||
| Seat made permanent on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 1589 ||||
| Larimer | 1987–2009 |
| Geraci | 2013–2023 |
| Vacca | 2024–present |