--- title: "Rachel Peter Kovner | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachel-peter-kovner" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Rachel Peter Kovner 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 statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, E.D. New York, 2019-present - American lawyer and United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, appointed by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate in 2019 - Assistant to the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice (2013–2019) - Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York, 2009-2013 - Law clerk, Hon. Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court of the United States, 2007-2008 - Law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court (2007–2008) - Law clerk to Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2006–2007) ### Education - Stanford Law School — J.D. (2006) - cum laude — Harvard University — 2001 - Harvard University — B.A. (2001) ### Additional information - Nominated: May 21, 2019, by President Trump to replace Judge Carol Bagley Amon, who took senior status in 2016 - Born September 29, 1979, New York City. - Date of birth: 1979-09-29 - representing the U.S. before the Supreme Court in 13 cases and briefing 11 more - She has also been involved in high-profile prosecutions, including cases related to al Qaeda’s embassy bombing conspiracy - She is also a Temple Bar Scholar and member of the American Inns of Court - Birth place: New York, NY ## 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/7223861) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7223861) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7223861) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14462/rachel-peter-kovner/) - [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/14462/rachel-peter-kovner/) - [Judge Rachel Peter Kovner](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7223861) - [Wikidata: Rachel P. Kovner](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q53033650) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachel-peter-kovner", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachel-peter-kovner", "name": "Rachel Peter Kovner | KnowJudges", "description": "Rachel Peter Kovner, 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/rachel-peter-kovner#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachel-peter-kovner#judge", "name": "Rachel Peter Kovner", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachel-peter-kovner", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/7223861", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14462/rachel-peter-kovner/" ], "birthDate": "1979-09-29", "birthPlace": "New York, NY", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Stanford Law School" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" } ] }, { "@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": "Rachel Peter Kovner", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachel-peter-kovner" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 76 | 5 | Not available | 5 | | 2y | 381 | 189 | 2.5 | 189 | | 5y | 1640 | 1303 | 3.7 | 1303 | | 10y | 2254 | 1898 | 4.7 | 1898 | 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.