--- title: "Debra Ann Livingston | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/debra-ann-livingston" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Debra Ann Livingston U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Senior Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since July 1, 2026 - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2007-present - Paul J. Kellner Professor of Law, Columbia Law School (1994–present), Vice Dean (2005–2006) - Chief Judge of the Second Circuit from September 1, 2020, to June 30, 2026 - Assistant professor, University of Michigan Law School, 1992-1994 - Associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (1985–1986, 1991–1992) - Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York, 1986-1991 - Law clerk, Hon. J. Edward Lumbard, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1984-1985 - Law clerk to Judge J. Edward Lumbard, 2nd Circuit - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ### Education - Harvard University — J.D. (1984) - magna cum laude, Harvard Law School, editor of the Harvard Law Review — J.D. (1984) - magna cum laude, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, Phi Beta Kappa — B.A. (1980) ### Additional information - Recipient of multiple honors, including the Federal Bar Council’s Learned Hand Medal (2021) and the Stanley Fuld Award (2025). - Served on the Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Evidence, chairing it 2017–2020. - Appointed by President George W. Bush on June 28, 2006; confirmed by the Senate on May 9, 2007, by a 91–0 vote. - professor, 2000-2007 - Faculty, Columbia Law School, 1994-2007 - Commissioner, New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (1994–2003). - associate professor, 1994-2000 - Faculty member, University of Michigan Law School (1992–1994). - Private practice, New York, 1991-1992 - Private practice, New York, 1985-1986 - Date of birth: 1959-01-01 - Co-author of Comprehensive Criminal Procedure. - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs - Teaches criminal procedure, evidence, national security, and terrorism law. - Birth place: Waycross, GA ## 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 ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392571) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392571) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392571) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1951/debra-ann-livingston/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1951/debra-ann-livingston/) - [Wikidata: Debra Ann Livingston](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5248438) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/debra-ann-livingston", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/debra-ann-livingston", "name": "Debra Ann Livingston | KnowJudges", "description": "Debra Ann Livingston, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 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/debra-ann-livingston#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/debra-ann-livingston#judge", "name": "Debra Ann Livingston", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/debra-ann-livingston", "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392571", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1951/debra-ann-livingston/" ], "birthDate": "1959", "birthPlace": "Waycross, GA", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Princeton University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Princeton School of Public and International Affairs" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "National federal courts", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Debra Ann Livingston", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/debra-ann-livingston" } ] } ] } ```