What Is the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Website?

Updated

The website at nysd.uscourts.gov is the official homepage of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (often abbreviated SDNY). It is the online entry point for the federal trial court whose jurisdiction covers New York, Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan counties, and which hears cases in Manhattan, White Plains, and Poughkeepsie, New York. If you are looking for court information, judge listings, or procedural guidance for a case in this district, this is the authoritative source.

What the Court Covers

The Southern District of New York draws jurors from the same eight counties it serves:

  • New York
  • Bronx
  • Westchester
  • Rockland
  • Putnam
  • Orange
  • Dutchess
  • Sullivan

Court sessions are held in three locations: Manhattan, White Plains, and Poughkeepsie.

Why This Court Is Historically Notable

According to the court's own homepage, the District of New York held its first session on the first Tuesday of November 1789 at the Old Royal Exchange in lower Manhattan, presided over by Judge James Duane, who was appointed by President Washington. It was the first court to sit under the new United States Constitution, preceding the United States Supreme Court by a few months. The District and its successor, the Southern District of New York, have sat continuously in New York, NY, since 1789.

Judges who have served on the court include Justice Sonia Sotomayor, former Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson, Sr., former Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, and former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh. Historically significant cases heard in the court include claims arising from the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania, the Cold War espionage cases of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Alger Hiss, and the government's challenges to the publication of James Joyce's Ulysses and the New York Times's Pentagon Papers.

What You Can Find on the Site

The homepage organizes its main navigation around several areas, including:

  • Judges — a listing of current U.S. District Judges and U.S. Magistrate Judges
  • Serve as Pro Bono Counsel — information on pro bono service
  • History of the Court — background on the court's origins and development
  • Payment Information — a dedicated page for payment-related matters

Before You Appear in This Court

The court advises that, prior to appearing before it, parties should be familiar with the Individual Practices of the judge who has been assigned to their case. Individual Practices vary by judge, so identifying your assigned judge and reviewing that judge's specific rules is a practical first step.