--- title: "James M. Wicks | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-m-wicks-new-york-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # James M. Wicks U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York - State: New York - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Since 2005, Judge Wicks has held the role of an Adjunct Professor at St. John’s University School of Law, teaching courses such as Pretrial Advocacy and Depositions - Sworn in as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York on April 26, 2021, at the Alfonse M. D’Amato U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip, New York - Clerk to the Hon. Arthur D. Spatt, District Court, E.D. New York, NY, ?-present ### Education - Wheeling Jesuit University — B.A. - St John's University-New York — J.D. - Judge Wicks earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheeling College, where he was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit National Honor Society, and Psi Chi, the Psychology National Honor Society ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. New York, 2021-present - adj-prof, Saint Johns University, New York, NY, 2005-present - Litigation Associate, White and Case - Captain, Ocean Beach Fire Department - Began his legal career as an associate at White & Case before joining Farrell Fritz - Judge James M. Wicks combines extensive litigation experience, judicial service, academic involvement, and leadership in professional organizations - He graduated from St. John’s University School of Law and subsequently held the role of a Law Clerk to the Honorable Arthur D. Spatt in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York - focusing on business and commercial litigation, attorney ethics, and professionalism issues - His clients included businesses, financial institutions, and individuals in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration matters involving corporate governance, contracts, real estate, insurance, and franchise disputes - Senior Partner, General Counsel, Secretary, Shareholder, Member, Farrell Fritz, ?-present - Prior to his appointment, he spent over 25 years at Farrell Fritz, where he held the role of a Senior Partner, Member, and the firm’s first General Counsel - He has held numerous leadership positions, including Chair of several not-for-profits, Chair of the EDNY Civil Litigation Advisory Committee, member of the State and Federal Judicial Advisory Council, member of the NYS Judicial Institute of Professionalism, former Chair of the NYS Bar Association’s Commercial & Federal Litigation Section, and Chair of the Federal Bar Council’s Central Islip Courthouse Committee United States Courts ## 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=13) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=13) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=13) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15350/james-m-wicks/) - [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/15350/james-m-wicks/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15350/james-m-wicks/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-m-wicks-new-york-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-m-wicks-new-york-us-magistrate", "name": "James M. 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[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.