--- title: "Margaret M. Garnett | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-m-garnett" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Margaret M. Garnett 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 - Recommended by Senator Chuck Schumer, Garnett was nominated by President Joe Biden on July 11, 2023, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, filling the seat vacated by Judge Vincent L. Briccetti - Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York, 2021-2023; deputy U.S. attorney, 2021-2023; special counsel, 2023 - Garnett also held the role of Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice in the New York State Attorney General’s Office (2017–2018) and as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (2018–2021) - Adjunct professor, federal prosecution seminar and externship, Columbia Law School, 2015, 2016, 2017 - Adjunct professor, trial advocacy seminar, Brooklyn Law School, 2015, 2017 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Criminal Division, Southern District of New York, 2005-2017 - She held the role of an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 2005 to 2017, holding leadership roles including Chief of the Violent Crimes/Violent and Organized Crime Unit (2011–2014) and Chief of Appeals (2016–2017),. - Law clerk, Hon. Gerard E. Lynch, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 2004-2005 - She then clerked for Judge Gerard E. Lynch of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2004 to 2005 - Began her legal career as an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City from 2000 to 2004 - Garnett has held the role of an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School and Brooklyn Law School, teaching trial advocacy and federal prosecution seminars ### Education - Columbia Law School — J.D. (2000) - Bachelor of Arts in English and Government from the University of Notre Dame in 1992, followed by a Master of Arts (1995) and Master of Philosophy (1997) in Political Science from Yale University. ### Additional information - Judge Garnett has presided over significant cases, including a January 30, 2026 ruling in which she dismissed death-eligible counts from Luigi Mangione's federal indictment, preventing prosecutors from seeking the death penalty - Deputy chief, Criminal Appeals Unit, 2015-2016 - Deputy chief, Violent Crimes Unit, 2010-2011 - Private practice, New York City, 2000-2004 - Margaret Merrell Miller Garnett was born in 1971 in West Point, New York, into a family with a strong military tradition, including two generals and a father who held the role of an Army officer. - She has received awards such as the Justice Department’s Director’s Award for Superior Performance and the Stimson Medal for outstanding service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney ## 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 ### courtroom wifi Scope: judge specific Attorneys may obtain Wi-Fi authorization in Judge Garnett's courtroom for hearings or trials using the court's request form. Evidence excerpt: Attorneys may obtain authorization to use the Court’s Wi-Fi system in Judge Garnett’s Courtroom during a hearing or trial by submitting an Electronic Device and Wi-Fi Access Request Form. [Judge Garnett's Individual Rules and Practices](https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/practice_documents/MMG%20Garnett%20Individual%20Rules%20%26%20Practices%202025.03.28%20%5BFINAL%5D.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/13761361) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761361) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761361) - [Judge Garnett's Individual Rules and Practices](https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/practice_documents/MMG%20Garnett%20Individual%20Rules%20%26%20Practices%202025.03.28%20%5BFINAL%5D.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) - [Judge Margaret M. Garnett](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761361) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-m-garnett", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-m-garnett", "name": "Margaret M. Garnett | KnowJudges", "description": "Margaret M. Garnett, U.S. District Court for the Southern 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/margaret-m-garnett#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-m-garnett#judge", "name": "Margaret M. 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Garnett", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-m-garnett" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 156 | 21 | 0.7 | 21 | | 2y | 465 | 174 | 3.1 | 174 | | 5y | 655 | 325 | 3.4 | 325 | | 10y | 655 | 325 | 3.4 | 325 | 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.