--- title: "Pamela Ki Mai Chen | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-ki-mai-chen" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Pamela Ki Mai Chen U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern 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, E.D. New York, 2013-present - U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013; an Asian-American federal judge - Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of New York, 2008-2013 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of New York, 1998-2007 - Trial attorney, Special Litigation Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1991-1998 ### Education - Georgetown University Law Center in — J.D. (1986) - University of Michigan in — B.A. (1983) ### Additional information - Deputy commissioner for enforcement, New York State Division of Human Rights, 2008-present - chief, Civil Rights Section, 2008-2013 - On August 2, 2012, President Obama nominated Chen to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, replacing Raymond J. Dearie. - deputy chief, Public Integrity Section, 2006-2007 - chief, Civil Rights Section, 2006-2007 - chief, Civil Rights Litigation Unit, 2003-2006 - senior trial attorney, 1992-1998 - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1986-1991 - Date of birth: 1961-01-01 - Judge Chen’s appointment marked a historic milestone in U.S. judicial history, reflecting both her legal expertise and her role as a trailblazer for underrepresented communities - Birth place: Chicago, IL ## 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 ### audiovisual evidence Scope: judge specific Judge Chen requires parties with video or audio exhibits too large for ECF to contact chambers for submission instructions and file an ECF cover letter describing the evidence. Evidence excerpt: Video/audio exhibits that are too large to file on ECF may not be submitted via USB or CD. The filing party should contact chambers and will receive instructions for filing such exhibits. The party must also file a cover letter on ECF describing the video/audio evidence submitted to the Court. [Judge Pamela K. Chen Individual Practices and Rules](https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/pub/rules/PKC-MLR.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/1394131) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394131) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394131) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/597/pamela-ki-mai-chen/) - [Judge Pamela K. Chen Individual Practices and Rules](https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/pub/rules/PKC-MLR.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/597/pamela-ki-mai-chen/) - [Wikidata: Pamela Ki Mai Chen](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7129188) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-ki-mai-chen", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-ki-mai-chen", "name": "Pamela Ki Mai Chen | KnowJudges", "description": "Pamela Ki Mai Chen, U.S. District Court for the Eastern 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/pamela-ki-mai-chen#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-ki-mai-chen#judge", "name": "Pamela Ki Mai Chen", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-ki-mai-chen", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394131", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/597/pamela-ki-mai-chen/" ], "birthDate": "1961", "birthPlace": "Chicago, IL", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Michigan" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Georgetown University Law Center" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "New York", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/new-york" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pamela Ki Mai Chen", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/pamela-ki-mai-chen" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 124 | 27 | 0.6 | 27 | | 2y | 433 | 197 | 2 | 197 | | 5y | 1633 | 1338 | 2.9 | 1338 | | 10y | 3280 | 2969 | 4.2 | 2969 | 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.