--- title: "Charles J. Siragusa | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-j-siragusa" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Charles J. Siragusa U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York - State: New York - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, W.D. New York, 1997-2012 - Justice, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Seventh Judicial District, 1993-1997 - In 1993, Siragusa was chosen as a New York State Supreme Court Justice in the Seventh Judicial District, serving for four years - Assistant district attorney, Monroe County, NY, 1977-1992 - Began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Monroe County, serving from 1977 to 1992 and eventually becoming First Assistant District Attorney ### Education - Albany Law School — J.D. (1976) - Le Moyne College — B.A. (1969) ### Additional information - He assumed senior status on December 15, 2012 - received his commission on November 5, 1997. - On July 15, 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated Siragusa to the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, filling the seat vacated by Michael Anthony Telesca. - During this time, he prosecuted high-profile cases, including Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, and Frank Sterling for the 1988 murder of Viola Manville. - Date of birth: 1947-01-01 - Charles J. Siragusa has had a distinguished career spanning local prosecution, state judiciary, and federal service. - Sterling’s conviction was later overturned due to new evidence implicating another individual. - Birth place: Rochester, NY ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390566) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390566) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390566) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2983/charles-j-siragusa/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2983/charles-j-siragusa/) - [Wikidata: Charles J. Siragusa](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5079382) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-j-siragusa", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-j-siragusa", "name": "Charles J. Siragusa | KnowJudges", "description": "Charles J. Siragusa, U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-j-siragusa#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-j-siragusa#judge", "name": "Charles J. 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[Official rules document](https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/content/hon-charles-j-siragusa) · Source page web_or_saved_capture · Collected 2026-10-27 ### Shared court rules - [Western District of New York — Local Rules of Civil Procedure](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/ny-shared-set-5c1f572e43f14286bea8) — WDNY federal district-court civil proceedings only; not criminal proceedings or Bankruptcy Court. [Official source](https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/sites/nywd/files/2025%20Local%20Rules%20of%20Civil%20Procedure%20FINAL%20-%20v3-1.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.