U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Second Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| David G. Larimer | Reagan (R) | 1987 |
| Richard Joseph Arcara | Reagan (R) | 1988 |
| William M. Skretny | Bush (R) | 1990 |
| Charles J. Siragusa | Clinton (D) | 1997 |
| Frank Paul Geraci Jr. | Obama (D) | 2013 |
| Elizabeth Ann Wolford | Obama (D) | 2013 |
| Lawrence Joseph Vilardo | Obama (D) | 2015 |
| John Leonard Sinatra Jr. | Trump (R) | 2019 |
| Meredith Anne Vacca | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Anthony Telesca | Reagan (R) | 1982–2020 |
| John Thomas Elfvin | Ford (R) | 1974–2009 |
| John Thomas Curtin | Johnson (D) | 1967–2017 |
| John Oliver Henderson | Eisenhower (R) | 1959–1974 |
| Justin Colfax Morgan | Eisenhower (R) | 1956–1959 |
| Harold P. Burke | Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1981 |
| Harlan Watson Rippey | Roosevelt (D) | 1934–1936 |
| John Knight | Hoover (R) | 1932–1955 |
| Simon Louis Adler | Coolidge (R) | 1928–1934 |
| John Raymond Hazel | McKinley (R) | 1900–1931 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1900.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.