--- title: "Kenneth M. Karas | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-m-karas" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Kenneth M. Karas U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York - State: New York - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, S.D. New York, 2004-present - Law clerk, Hon. Reena Raggi, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 1992-present - In 2022, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed him to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Alien Terrorist Removal Court - Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York, 1992-2004 - Karas held the role of an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1992 to 2004, including as Chief of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit from 2001 to 2004. - Nominated by President George W. Bush on September 18, 2003, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, filling the seat vacated by Judge Allen G. Schwartz - After law school, he clerked for Judge Reena Raggi of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 1992 ### Education - Columbia Law School in, where he was recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar — J.D. (1991) ### Additional information - received his commission on June 13, 2004. - He entered duty on September 7, 2004. - Part of the prosecution team that convicted four of Usama Bin Laden’s followers for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and participated in the prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui related to the September 11 attacks - Kenneth Michael Karas was born in 1964 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. - Date of birth: 1964-01-01 - Attorneys describe him as thoughtful, prepared, and respectful, though he can be sarcastic or testy if he perceives overstepping by counsel. - During this time, he worked on major terrorism investigations, including cases involving al Qaeda, Hamas, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and the IRA. - Birth place: Colorado Springs, CO ## 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 ### electronic devices Scope: judge specific Judge Karas requires prior permission for parties bringing specified electronic devices to court. Evidence excerpt: Any Party wishing to bring certain electronic devices (e.g., laptops, tablets, etc.) to Court must obtain prior permission by submitting the Fillable Form for Electronic Devices General Purpose ... at least three days before any scheduled appearance. [Judge Karas's Individual Practices](https://nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/practice_documents/KMK%20Karas%20Individual%20Practices%2004-20-2026%20update.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### 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/1392121) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392121) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392121) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1703/kenneth-m-karas/) - [Judge Karas's Individual Practices](https://nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/practice_documents/KMK%20Karas%20Individual%20Practices%2004-20-2026%20update.pdf) - [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/1703/kenneth-m-karas/) - [Wikidata: Kenneth M. Karas](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6390402) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-m-karas", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-m-karas", "name": "Kenneth M. Karas | KnowJudges", "description": "Kenneth M. Karas, U.S. District Court for the Southern 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/kenneth-m-karas#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-m-karas#judge", "name": "Kenneth M. 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Karas", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-m-karas" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 95 | 10 | 1 | 10 | | 2y | 334 | 89 | 3 | 89 | | 5y | 1069 | 658 | 6.2 | 658 | | 10y | 2340 | 1896 | 8.5 | 1896 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## 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.