--- title: "A. Kathleen Tomlinson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-kathleen-tomlinson-9429" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # A. Kathleen Tomlinson U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York · Magistrate ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York - State: New York - Role: Magistrate - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York, appointed in 2006 and serving until her death in 2021 at age 73 - She spent 14 years as an academic administrator at Long Island University, rising to assistant university dean for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences - Tomlinson’s legal practice focused on complex litigation, labor and employment law, white‐collar defense, and civil rights cases ### Education - Long Island University in — M.A. (1975) - Rutgers University in — B.A. (1972) ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. New York, 2006-present - Tomlinson was appointed by the Eastern District of New York’s Board of Judges to the federal magistrate court on February 24, 2006, to a renewable eight‐year term. - She then worked as a staff attorney for the Nassau County Legal Aid Society (1988–1991), held the role of a federal law clerk to the late U.S. District Judge Arthur Spatt, and joined Farrell Fritz, P.C., becoming a partner in 1998 - She presided over cases in the district for 15 years, known for her diligence, fairness, and collegiality. - She was recognized for her pro bono work, leadership in the Nassau County Bar Association, and service on the Federal Bar Association’s Civic Education Committee - Before her judicial appointment, she held the role of counsel to the district’s Board of Judges Grievance Committee, on the Criminal Justice Act Panel, and as a member of the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### recording and photography Scope: statewide New York statewide rules require permission before photographing, filming, videotaping, audiotaping, broadcasting, or telecasting in court facilities, including courtrooms. Evidence excerpt: Taking photographs, films or videotapes, or audiotaping, broadcasting or telecasting, in a courthouse including any courtroom, office or hallway thereof, at any time or on any occasion, whether or not the court is in session, is forbidden, unless permission of the Chief Administrator of the Courts or a designee of the Chief Administrator is first obtained [Part 29: Electronic Recording and Audio-Visual Coverage in Court Facilities and of Court Proceedings](https://www.nycourts.gov/rules/part-29-electronic-recording-and-audio-visual-coverage-court-facilities-and-court-proceedings?from_node=15921&topic=386&wrapped=true) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### evidence presentation control Scope: statewide The official Guide to New York Evidence identifies court control over presentation of evidence as a statewide evidence topic; counsel should expect the assigned judge to control the mode and order of proof. Evidence excerpt: 1.07. COURT CONTROL OVER PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE [Guide to New York Evidence: Article 1, General Provisions and Court's Role](https://www.nycourts.gov/judges/evidence/1-GENERAL/1-generalprovisions.shtml) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9429/a-kathleen-tomlinson/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9429/a-kathleen-tomlinson/) - [U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9429/a-kathleen-tomlinson/) - [Part 29: Electronic Recording and Audio-Visual Coverage in Court Facilities and of Court Proceedings](https://www.nycourts.gov/rules/part-29-electronic-recording-and-audio-visual-coverage-court-facilities-and-court-proceedings?from_node=15921&topic=386&wrapped=true) - [Guide to New York Evidence: Article 1, General Provisions and Court's Role](https://www.nycourts.gov/judges/evidence/1-GENERAL/1-generalprovisions.shtml) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9429/a-kathleen-tomlinson/) - [A. Kathleen Tomlinson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/A._Kathleen_Tomlinson) - [A. Kathleen Tomlinson — Rulings & How They Decided - Ezel](https://ezel.ai/judges/nyed/a-kathleen-tomlinson) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-kathleen-tomlinson-9429", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-kathleen-tomlinson-9429", "name": "A. Kathleen Tomlinson | KnowJudges", "description": "A. Kathleen Tomlinson, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-08", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-kathleen-tomlinson-9429#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-kathleen-tomlinson-9429#judge", "name": "A. 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Kathleen Tomlinson", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/a-kathleen-tomlinson-9429" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [SDNY and EDNY — Joint Local Civil and Criminal Rules](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/ny-shared-set-201c11a4597834a9a953) — Federal district-court proceedings only. Civil and criminal sections have distinct scope and district-specific exceptions. Not Bankruptcy Court rules. [Official source](https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/local_rules/2026-01-02%20-%20EDNY%20and%20SDNY%20Joint%20Local%20Rules%20As%20Amended.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.