Mark W. Pedersen at a glance
- Current role
- Recalled U.S. Magistrate Judge
- Current assignment
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- Jurisdiction
- New York · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Mark W. Pedersen
Recalled U.S. Magistrate Judge · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York · U.S. Magistrate Judge · Recalled · Assignment source ↗
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York · U.S. Magistrate Judge · Active · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Source authority
- Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Biography
Professional career
Education
Additional information
- Magistrate, District Court, W.D. New York, 2019-present
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
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.
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 ↗
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Judge and named-part rules
Published judge / part rules (10 excerpts)
See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding.
Official rules document ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27
Motion practice
Unless previously provided with a date by the Court, motions shall not contain return dates. Parties may request oral argument on any motion, and the Court will schedule argument when it determines that argument may be helpful to resolution of the motion.
Source page web_or_saved_captureAdjournments
The Court relies on W.D.N.Y. Loc. R. Civ. P. 7(b)(2) (Jan. 1, 2020) for briefing schedules and will not ordinarily issue a motion scheduling order, except if the case involves a pro se litigant. Loc. R. Civ. P. 5.2(h). Adjournments and Enlargements of Time
Source page web_or_saved_captureAdjournments
When the parties agree on a request for an adjournment or enlargement of time, a formal motion is not required. Instead, the party seeking an adjournment or enlargement of time should e-file a letter request, as a Motion on CM/ECF, stating that the parties have consented to the extension. All such requests shall also indicate the number of prior extensions or adjournments.
Source page web_or_saved_captureConferences and appearances
If seeking to extend a criminal appearance or deadline, such request shall address the exclusion of time from the Speedy Trial Act calendar. If the request is not on consent of both parties, the Court will either address it, schedule a case management conference, or ask the opposing party to file its opposition.
Source page web_or_saved_captureCommunications with chambers
If a discovery dispute arises, the parties shall initially advise the Court of the dispute via letter motion (with copy to opposing counsel). Upon review of the letter motion, Judge Pedersen will generally schedule a conference with the parties to attempt to settle the dispute informally. If the dispute is not resolved informally, the parties will have the opportunity to file a formal motion. This informal discovery dispute process is not expedited motion practice. Therefore, letter submissions should provide a brief overview of the issue with supporting documentation and the parties' position. Parties do not waive arguments by failing to raise them in their letter submissions. If a dispute arises during the taking of a deposition that cannot be resolved by the parties, the parties are permitted to contact chambers via telephone from the location of the deposition. If available, Judge Pedersen will hear from each side and resolve the dispute at that time.
Source page web_or_saved_captureAdjournments
As with requests for adjournments, requests for the Judge to address a discovery dispute with the parties must be made by letter motion on the docket. Submissions to Chambers
Source page web_or_saved_captureAdjournments
Judge Pedersen accepts letter submissions via mail, hand delivery, or email. Email submissions should be sent to: pedersen@nywd.uscourts.gov . If the letter being submitted is requesting an adjournment or an enlargement of time, please refer to the tab above for filing instructions.
Source page web_or_saved_captureCommunications with chambers
It is Judge Pedersen's preference that parties attend Court proceedings in-person. If a remote appearance option is not provided by the Court at the time of scheduling, parties requesting to appear by virtual means are to submit a letter request to chambers in advance of the appearance and provide good cause for the need to appear remotely.
Source page web_or_saved_captureTrial exhibits and witnesses
Due to the decline of trials, opportunities to train junior lawyers in courtroom skills have become increasingly rare. Accordingly, where junior lawyers are familiar with the matter under consideration, but are not experienced in arguing before a court, they should be encouraged to actively participate. In such circumstances, where it creates an opportunity for a junior lawyer to argue, the Court is amenable to permitting more than one lawyer to argue for one party.
Source page web_or_saved_captureMotion practice
Judge Pedersen accepts applications for summer law student interns from November to early January each year. Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Judge Pedersen is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of New York based in Rochester. In that role, he handles both civil and criminal matters. For civil matters, he is tasked with handling pre-trial matters, such as conducting scheduling conferences to set deadlines for the case, supervising discovery and resolving discovery disputes, and writing decisions for non-dispositive motions. In addition, parties can consent to Magistrate Judge jurisdiction. In those cases, Judge Pedersen presides over the case until its resolution. For criminal matters, Judge Pedersen reviews and signs search warrants, arrest warrants, and conducts detention hearings to determine if a defendant should be incarcerated prior to trial or released. In criminal cases, Judge Pedersen also addresses pre-trial motions, and conducts hearings on various issues when required.
Source page web_or_saved_captureShared court rules
Northern District of New York — Local Rules of Practice
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
NDNY federal district-court proceedings only; preserve civil, criminal and specialized-section limits.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Sources
Identity source checked July 29, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster
Identity source · HTML · Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts · Source checked July 29, 2026
View U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗