--- title: "Michael Etan Farbiarz | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-etan-farbiarz" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Michael Etan Farbiarz U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey - State: New Jersey - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - American lawyer and United States district judge for the District of New Jersey, appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in May 2023 - General Counsel of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (2014–2016, Farbiarz was a senior fellow at NYU School of Law; from 2016 to 2023) - Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York, 2004-2014; deputy chief, Terrorism and National Security Unit, 2009-2010; co-chief, Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit, 2010-2014 - Between 2004 and 2014, Farbiarz was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, including as co‐chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit (2010–2014). - From 2001 to 2004, he was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City - Law clerk, Hon.José A. Cabranes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2000-2001 - He held the role of law clerk to then-Chief Judge Michael B. Mukasey of the Southern District of New York (1999–2000) and to Judge José A. Cabranes of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals (2000–2001) - Law clerk, Hon. Michael B. Mukasey, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1999-2000 ### Education - Yale Law School in — J.D. (1999) - Harvard University — B.A. (1995) ### Additional information - Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 2016-2023; general counsel, counsel to subsidiaries, and director of Port Authority Insurance Captive Entity, 2016-2023; acting inspector general, 2020-2021 - On December 22, 2022, Biden nominated Farbiarz to fill the seat vacated by Judge Noel Lawrence Hillman, who took senior status in April 2022. - He also acted as Acting Inspector General (2020–2021) - Senior fellow, New York University Law School, 2014-2016 - Adjunct instructor, Columbia Law School, 2014 - He was awarded the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service in 2011 - Private practice, New York City, 2001-2004 - Born 1973 in New York City. - Date of birth: 1973 - overseeing major commercial transactions, ethics programs, and labor agreements. - Birth place: New York City ## 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.fjc.gov/node/13619511) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13619511) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13619511) - [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 Michael Etan Farbiarz](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13619511) - [Wikidata: Michael E. Farbiarz](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115790500) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-etan-farbiarz", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-etan-farbiarz", "name": "Michael Etan Farbiarz | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael Etan Farbiarz, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. 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/michael-etan-farbiarz#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-etan-farbiarz#judge", "name": "Michael Etan Farbiarz", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-etan-farbiarz", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/13619511" ], "birthDate": "1973", "birthPlace": "New York City", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Yale Law School" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "New Jersey", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/new-jersey" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Etan Farbiarz", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-etan-farbiarz" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 379 | 69 | 1 | 69 | | 2y | 772 | 230 | 2.2 | 230 | | 5y | 1110 | 492 | 3.9 | 492 | | 10y | 1110 | 492 | 3.9 | 492 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [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.