Who appointed Katherine Polk Failla?

President Barack Obama appointed Katherine Polk Failla to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2013.

Was Katherine Polk Failla appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?

Katherine Polk Failla was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.

What was Katherine Polk Failla's confirmation vote?

The Senate confirmed Katherine Polk Failla 91–0 on March 4, 2013.

Southern District of New York / Appointed 2013 / Active

Katherine Polk Failla

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the Senate 91–0, Katherine Polk Failla is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1993. Sources ↓

Born: 1969 · age 57
Appointed by: Barack Obama, 2013
Confirmed: 91–0
Education: College of William and Mary 1990 · Harvard Law School 1993
Succeeded: Denise Cote

Federal judicial service

Year	Court	Appointed by	Vote
2013	Southern District of New York succeeded Denise Cote	Obama (D)	91–0

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.

Confirmation vote

Nomination Confirmed 91–0 on March 4, 2013 · 113th Congress, Roll Call 28. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.

Voted to confirm · 91

48 D, 41 R, 2 I

Did not vote · 9

5 D, 4 R

Education

College of William and Mary	B.A.	1990
Harvard Law School	J.D.	1993

Judicial Record

Caseload & case types

In our data, Failla was assigned 3,835 district-court cases (1996–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 169 days across 3,384 closed cases.

Other civil matters32%

Civil rights22%

Labor & ERISA9%

Contract8%

Intellectual property7%

Other federal statutes4%

Other19%

Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.

On appeal

Of 152 of Failla’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 124 were affirmed, 19 reversed or vacated, and 9 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.

Questions & answers

Who appointed Katherine Polk Failla?: President Barack Obama appointed Katherine Polk Failla to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2013.
Was Katherine Polk Failla appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?: Katherine Polk Failla was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Katherine Polk Failla's confirmation vote?: The Senate confirmed Katherine Polk Failla 91–0 on March 4, 2013.
Which court is Katherine Polk Failla on?: Katherine Polk Failla is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Sources

Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.

How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources

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13 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).