---
title: "Richard C. Wesley | KnowJudges"
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# Richard C. Wesley

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- State: National federal courts
- Role: U.S. Circuit Judge
- Service status: senior
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2003-present
- On March 5, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Wesley to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, filling the seat vacated by Judge Pierre N. Leval
- Associate judge, New York State Court of Appeals, 1997-2003
- Associate justice, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department, 1994-1996
- Justice, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Seventh Judicial District, 1987-1994
- In 1986, Wesley was elected to a 14-year term as a Justice of the New York Supreme Court in the Seventh Judicial District, headquartered in Rochester
- Began his legal career in private practice, first with Harris Beach in Rochester and later as a partner at Welch, Streb & Porter in Geneseo

### Education

- Cornell Law School in, serving as an editor of the Cornell Law Review — J.D. (1974)
- Cornell University — J.D.
- State University of New York at Albany
- B.A. summa cum laude in American History from the University at Albany, SUNY, where he also participated in student government and played on the university’s inaugural football team.

### Additional information

- He assumed senior status on August 1, 2016.
- Judge, 2004-2004
- Wesley received his commission on June 12, 2003, and was sworn in on July 21, 2003.
- His nomination was supported by both Democratic and Republican senators, including Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, and he was confirmed by a 96–0 Senate vote on June 11, 2003.
- In 1994, Governor Mario Cuomo appointed him to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and in 1997, Governor George Pataki appointed him to the New York Court of Appeals, where he served until 2003.
- Practitioner, 1996-1996
- legis, 1996-1996
- State assemblyman, New York, 1983-1987
- Private practice, Geneseo, NY, 1976-1987
- In 1982, Wesley was elected as a Republican to represent New York's 136th Assembly District and was reelected in 1984, serving on the Codes and Environmental Conservation Committees.
- Assistant minority counsel, New York State Assembly, 1979-1982
- From 1979 to 1982, he held the role of assistant counsel and chief legislative aide to New York Assembly Minority Leader James L. Emery.
- Private practice, Pittsford, NY, 1974-1976
- Richard Carl Wesley was born on August 1, 1949, in Hemlock, New York.
- Date of birth: 1949-08-01
- Recognized for his thoughtful, scholarly approach and ability to build consensus among colleagues.
- He implemented significant administrative reforms, including the Trial Assistance Part to reduce case backlogs and a felony-screening program that cut processing delays by over 60 percent, later adopted statewide.
- He also created the JUST Program to monitor pre-plea and pre-sentence defendants and provide alternatives to incarceration.
- He grew up in a working-class family, with his father delivering fuel oil and his mother working as a butcher and later a nurse.
- Birth place: Canandaigua, 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

### appellate oral argument

Scope: courtwide

In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation.

Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary

[Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391866)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391866)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391866)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3427/richard-c-wesley/)
- [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3427/richard-c-wesley/)
- [Wikidata: Richard C. Wesley](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7324579)

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