Nelson Stephen Román at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- New York · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Nelson Stephen Román
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York · Judge · Active · May 13, 2013–present · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Appointment method
- Presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
- Appointing authority
- Barack Obama
- Source authority
- Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory
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Biography
Professional career
- Judge, District Court, S.D. New York, 2013-present
- Associate justice, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, 2009-2013
- Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department (2009–2013) Appointed by Governor David Paterson
- Justice, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Civil Term, Bronx County, 2003-2009
- Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York, Bronx County, 2001-2002
- Housing court judge, Civil Court of the City of New York, Bronx County, 1998-2000
- Law clerk, Hon. Jose A. Padilla, Jr., Civil Court of the City of New York, 1995-1998
- Assistant district attorney, Kings County, NY, 1994-1995
- Special narcotics assistant district attorney, New York City, 1992-1994
- Assistant district attorney, Kings County, NY, 1989-1991
Education
- Brooklyn Law School — J.D. (1989)
- Fordham University — B.A. (1984)
Additional information
- Date of birth: 1960-01-01
- Seat previously held by Judge Richard M. Berman
- Of Puerto Rican ancestry; raised in the Bronx (Background).
- Birth place: New York, NY
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 (47 excerpts)
See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding.
Official rules document ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27
Discovery
Unless otherwise ordered by Judge Román, these Individual Practices apply to all civil matters except for civil pro se cases (see Rules for Pro Se Cases). In cases designated to be part of the Court’s pilot programs or plans (e.g., the Section 1983 Plan, the Case Management Plan for Complex Civil Cases, or Initial Discovery Protocols for Employment Cases Alleging Adverse Action), those procedures shall govern to the extent that they are inconsistent with these Individual Practices.
Source page 1Communications with chambers
A. Letters. Except as otherwise provided below, communications with Chambers shall be by letter, with copies simultaneously delivered to all counsel. Unless there is a request to file a letter under seal or a letter contains sensitive or confidential information, all letters shall be filed on ECF. Letters under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information shall be delivered to the Court via email or mail. Do not email and mail the same letter. Correspondence between counsel shall not be sent to the Court or filed on ECF (except as exhibits to an otherwise properly filed document.
Source page 1Communications with chambers
C. Telephone Calls. Telephone calls to Chambers are permitted only for urgent matters requiring immediate attention. In such rare situations, call Chambers (914) 390-4177.
Source page 1Adjournments
D. Requests for Adjournments or Extensions of Time. All requests for adjournment or
Source page 1Adjournments
(1) the original date(s), (2) the number of previous requests for adjournment or extension, (3) whether these previous requests were granted or denied, (4) the reason for the instant request, (5) whether the adversary consents, and, if not, the reasons given by the adversary for refusing to consent, and (6) if the adversary consents, three mutually agreeable alternate conference dates, which should be on a Thursday or Friday.
Source page 1Adjournments
Any request for adjournment or extension of time must be made at least 48 hours prior to the original deadline. If the requested adjournment or extension affects any other 1
Source page 1Filing and working copies
E. Proposed Orders and Stipulations. All proposed orders, and stipulations requiring the Court’s signature, must be filed on ECF.
Source page 2Communications with chambers
F. Related Cases. After an action has been accepted as related to a prior filed action, all future court papers and correspondence must contain the docket number of the new action as well as the docket number of the related case (e.g., 11 Civ. 1234 [rel. 10 Civ.
Source page 2Conferences and appearances
G. ECF. All attorneys representing parties before Judge Román are required to register promptly as ECF Filers and must file a notice of appearance. Pertinent instructions are available on the Court website, at http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/ecf.php. Counsel are responsible for updating their contact information on ECF, should it change, and they are responsible for checking the docket sheet regularly, regardless of whether they receive an ECF notification of case activity.
Source page 2Conferences and appearances
B. Attendance by Principal Trial Counsel. The attorney who will serve as principal trial counsel shall appear at all conferences with the Court. However, the Court encourages junior attorneys who have worked on the case to take an active role during conferences.
Source page 2Conferences and appearances
Any attorney appearing before the Court shall enter a Notice of Appearance on ECF.
Source page 2Motion practice
C. Initial Case Management Conference, Personal Injury Case. In any case involving allegations of personal injury - whether physical, psychological, emotional, or otherwise - the plaintiff is to provide the defendant with all necessary medical authorizations at least twenty-one days prior to the initial pretrial conference. If the initial pretrial conference is waived, then the medical authorizations must be provided at least fourteen days prior to the first scheduled conference before the magistrate judge.
Source page 2Motion practice
A. Pre-Motion Conferences. A pre-motion conference with the Court is required before making any other motion, except motions for admission pro hac vice, motions in limine, and motions for temporary restraining orders. To arrange a pre-motion conference, the moving party shall submit a letter, not to exceed three pages, setting forth the basis for the anticipated motion. The opposing party shall submit a letter, also not to exceed three 2
Source page 2Motion practice
B. Memoranda of Law. The Court encourages and appreciates brevity. Unless prior permission has been granted, memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions are limited to 25 pages, and reply memoranda are limited to 10 pages. All memoranda of law shall be in 12-point font or larger and be double-spaced. Memoranda of 10 pages or more shall contain a table of contents and a table of authorities, neither of which shall count against the page limit. The service and/or filing of any sur-reply memoranda, without prior permission of the Court, will be deemed a nullity. All appendices to memoranda of law must be tabbed and indexed.
Source page 3Motion practice
C. Filing of Motion Papers. Motion papers shall be filed via ECF promptly after reply papers have been served. Discovery disputes are not to be raised by motion unless directed by the Court.
Source page 3Communications with chambers
D. Courtesy Copies. One courtesy electronic copy of all pleadings shall be submitted via email to Chambers as soon as practicable after filing. One courtesy hard copy of all motion papers shall be submitted via mail to Chambers when served on the other parties.
Source page 3Filing and working copies
All courtesy copies must be clearly marked as such, bound, and tabbed.
Source page 3Motion practice
ii. A party represented by counsel must submit a Rule 56.1 statement of material fact either in support of, or in opposition to a Rule 56 Summary Judgment Motion. See Fed. Rul. Civ. Pro. 56. The Rule 56.1 statement of material fact shall include proper citation(s) in support of the factual contention asserted.
Source page 3Motion practice
iii. Any Rule 56.1 statement in support of a motion for summary judgment is limited to no more than 25 pages, unless leave of the Court to file a longer document is obtained at least one week prior to the due date of such motion for summary judgment.
Source page 3Courtroom conduct and technology
iv. Any party moving for summary judgment shall provide all other parties with an electronic copy, in Microsoft Word format, of the moving party’s Statement of Material Facts Pursuant to Local Rule 56.1. Opposing parties shall reproduce 3
Source page 3Motion practice
v. Parties submitting papers in support of or in opposition to a motion for summary judgment shall submit only those exhibits necessary to decide the motion and should not submit, for example, entire deposition transcripts or every exhibit used at a deposition. The Court may strike documents that do not comply with these rules.
Source page 4Motion practice
H. Motions to Exclude Testimony of Experts. Pursuant to Rules 702–705 of the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993), line of cases, motions to exclude testimony of experts should be treated as motions in limine. See infra Rule 5.B.
Source page 4Communications with chambers
I. Applications for Injunction and/or Temporary Restraining Order. A party seeking a preliminary injunction and/or Temporary Restraining Order must comply with Rule 65. See Fed. Rul. Civ. Pro. 65. All moving parties must confer with their adversary before making an application for a temporary restraining order, unless the requirements of Rule 65(b)(1)(B) are met. When seeking a preliminary injunction and/or temporary restraining order, the moving party must send all their papers (in text-searchable PDF format) to the Court by email, copying counsel for all relevant parties. The email should (1) include the word “URGENT” in the subject line; (2) provide a telephone number at which the party (and any other relevant parties) can be reached; and (3) provide the relevant parties’ availability for a telephone conference. Parties should not hand-deliver any documents without advance permission from the Court. Additionally, parties must file all papers on ECF as they are emailed to Chambers.
Source page 4Motion practice
J. Default Judgments. A plaintiff seeking a default judgment shall proceed by way of an order to show cause pursuant to the procedure set forth in Attachment A.
Source page 4Trial exhibits and witnesses
K. Proposed Orders. All proposed orders that parties wish the Court to sign should be submitted as attachments or exhibits to an appropriate formal application to the Court seeking the endorsement of such order.
Source page 4Filing and working copies
A. Redacting Personal Information. Regarding document submissions, the parties must comply with the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 21, Privacy and Public Access to ECF Cases (“ECF Privacy Policy”). See also Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 2006).
Source page 4Filing and working copies
i. Parties may not, unless necessary, include the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
Source page 4Filing and working copies
financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the ECF Privacy Policy, without application to the Court. If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
Source page 5Communications with chambers
iii. If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the ECF Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be sent to Chambers by email, copying opposing counsel, prior to filing the redacted document on ECF. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction.
Source page 5Filing and working copies
B. Cases Removed from State Court. Counsel for the party or parties which removed the case must, in addition to providing a copy of all process, pleadings, and papers served upon the defendants pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1446(a), provide the Court with a courtesy copy of any pleading filed or served while the case remained in State court. All courtesy copies must be clearly marked as such, bound, and tabbed.
Source page 5Conferences and appearances
Counsel for all parties must file a notice of appearance in this Court promptly upon removal.
Source page 5Motion practice
A. Joint Pretrial Orders. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, within 30 days after the date for completion of discovery, or, if a dispositive motion has been filed, within 30 days after a decision on the motion, the parties should electronically file via ECF a joint pretrial order and provide one courtesy copy to the Court. The joint pretrial order shall include the information required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(3) and the
Source page 5Trial exhibits and witnesses
vi. A statement as to whether or not all parties have consented to trial by a magistrate judge, without identifying which parties do or do not consent;
Source page 6Discovery
viii. A list of all trial witnesses, indicating whether such witnesses will testify in person or by deposition, and a summary of the substance of each witness’s testimony. Deposition testimony will only be permitted if allowed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence and if the witness is not otherwise testifying in person;
Source page 6Trial exhibits and witnesses
x. A list by each party of exhibits to be offered in its case in chief, with one star indicating an objection by the opposing party based on authenticity. When a party objects to an exhibit on any grounds other than authenticity, the objection should be noted by indicating the Federal Rule of Evidence that is the basis for the objection;
Source page 6Motion practice
B. Motions in limine. At the pretrial conference, the Court will set a briefing schedule for any motions the parties wish to file addressing evidentiary issues or other matters which should be resolved in limine. Parties submitting motions in limine should file one consolidated motion to address all evidence they seek to exclude. Each party shall mail to the Court one courtesy copy and email one courtesy copy of all motion papers on the date those papers are filed. All mailed courtesy copies shall be clearly marked as such, bound, and tabbed.
Source page 6Communications with chambers
C. Additional Submissions in Jury Cases. At the pretrial conference, the Court will set a schedule for submission of additional materials, including proposed voir dire questions, requests to charge, and verdict forms. These submissions, including any oppositions, shall be filed via ECF and sent to Chambers by email, with one courtesy copy of each submitted to Chambers.
Source page 6Filing and working copies
The parties proposed voir dire should include a paragraph (preferably one agreed upon by the parties and designated as such) for the Court to use during jury selection which provides a brief explanation of the case. If the parties cannot agree to a paragraph after good faith efforts, their respective proposed paragraphs (designated as such) should be set forth in their respective submissions.
Source page 6Trial exhibits and witnesses
Each proposed jury instruction must contain a citation to the source or authority for the proposed instruction, or the request will be disregarded.
Source page 7Trial exhibits and witnesses
D. Trial Exhibits. At the time that the joint pretrial order is filed, each party shall submit to the Court a tabbed and indexed binder containing one copy of each documentary exhibit sought to be admitted. Exhibits need not be electronically filed.
Source page 7Filing and working copies
i. Electronically file via ECF proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law and provide one courtesy copy to the Court. The proposed findings of fact should be detailed and should include citations to the proffered trial testimony and exhibits, as there may be no opportunity for post-trial submissions.
Source page 7Discovery
ii. Submit to the Court and serve on opposing counsel, but shall not electronically file, all deposition excerpts which will be offered as substantive evidence, as well as a one-page synopsis of those excerpts for each deposition. Each synopsis shall include page citations to the pertinent pages and lines of the deposition transcripts.
Source page 7Filing and working copies
iii. Submit to the Court and serve on opposing counsel, but shall not electronically file, copies of affidavits constituting the direct testimony of each trial witness, except for the direct testimony of (1) an adverse party, (2) a person whose attendance is compelled by subpoena, or (3) a person for whom the Court has agreed to hear direct testimony live at the trial. Three business days after the submission of such affidavits, counsel for each party shall submit a list of all affiants whom he or she intends to cross-examine at the trial. Only those witnesses who will be cross-examined need to appear at trial. The original signed affidavits shall be brought to trial to be marked as exhibits.
Source page 7Communications with chambers
B. Computers, Tablets (i.e., iPads), Printers, or Other Electronic Equipment. For an attorney to bring any computer, tablet, printer, or other electronic equipment not qualifying as a “personal electronic device” into the Courthouse, prior authorization is required. An Application to Bring an Electronic Device into the Courthouse must be submitted to Chambers at least 10 business days in advance of the relevant trial or 7
Source page 7Artificial intelligence
A. Every attorney or party who uses an AI tool in preparing any document, including pleadings and/or motion papers submitted to this Court is expected to understand the tool’s capabilities and limitations. Attorneys and parties should understand that AI tools may and have on occasion generated fabricated information, fictitious citations and authority.
Source page 8Artificial intelligence
Any party utilizing an AI tool in drafting a document which is to be submitted to the Court must inform the Court of its use and identify which portion of the document was created or generated with the use of the AI tool. The parties are strongly encouraged to review and ensure any AI generated information is proper, legally supported and sound, and based on relevant law(s).
Source page 8Filing and working copies
D. If failure to answer is the basis for the default, the moving party must obtain a Certificate of Default from the Clerk of Court stating that no answer has been filed. Please review the Southern District of New York’s Electronic Case Filing Rules & Instructions, Section 16.1, on obtaining a Clerk’s Certificate of Default.0F1
Source page 9Shared court rules
SDNY and EDNY — Joint Local Civil and Criminal Rules
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Federal district-court proceedings only. Civil and criminal sections have distinct scope and district-specific exceptions. Not Bankruptcy Court rules.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Southern 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 Southern 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 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory · effective May 13, 2013 · Source checked July 25, 2026
View Federal Judicial Center biography ↗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 ↗