--- title: "Richard Joseph Arcara | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-joseph-arcara" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Richard Joseph Arcara U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York - State: New York - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Senior Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, having assumed senior status on January 3, 2015 - Judge, District Court, W.D. New York, 1988-2015 - Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York (1988–2015) - District attorney, Erie County, NY, 1982-1988 - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, 1975-1981 - First assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of New York, 1973-1974 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of New York, 1969-1973 ### Education - Villanova University — J.D. (1965) - St. Bonaventure University - Villanova University School of Law ### Additional information - Chief Judge: held the role of Chief Judge from 2003 to 2010 - Private practice, Buffalo, NY, 1968-1969 - U.S. Army captain, Military Police Corps, 1966-1967 - Born June 6, 1940, in Buffalo, New York. - Date of birth: 1940-01-01 - Judge Arcara is recognized for his extensive experience in both federal civil and criminal cases, his leadership as Chief Judge, and his long-standing service in Western New York’s federal judiciary - Birth place: Buffalo, 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/1377241) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377241) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377241) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/119/richard-joseph-arcara/) - [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/119/richard-joseph-arcara/) - [Wikidata: Richard Joseph Arcara](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326945) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-joseph-arcara", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-joseph-arcara", "name": "Richard Joseph Arcara | KnowJudges", "description": "Richard Joseph Arcara, U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-joseph-arcara#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-joseph-arcara#judge", "name": "Richard Joseph Arcara", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-joseph-arcara", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1377241", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/119/richard-joseph-arcara/" ], "birthDate": "1940", "birthPlace": "Buffalo, NY", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Villanova University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "St. Bonaventure University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Villanova University School of Law" } ] }, { "@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": "Richard Joseph Arcara", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-joseph-arcara" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 4 | 1 | Not available | 1 | | 2y | 39 | 33 | 4.4 | 33 | | 5y | 117 | 102 | 5.5 | 102 | | 10y | 283 | 250 | 10.1 | 250 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Judge and named-part rules #### Adjournments A request for an adjournment or enlargement of a deadline set forth in a prior order must be made by formal motion. Judge Arcara does not accept letters or faxes. Before filing the motion, movant shall consult with opposing counsel and ascertain whether opposing counsel consents to the request. If an adjournment is requested, movant shall discuss proposed new dates with opposing counsel to confirm counsel's availabiity. Those proposed dates shall be included in the moving papers. See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding. [Official rules document](https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/content/hon-richard-j-arcara) · Source page web_or_saved_capture · Collected 2026-10-27 #### Filing and working copies Sentencing submissions shall comply with the sentencing schedule set forth at the time of plea as well as the Local Procedural Guidelines to Govern Sentencing Procedures under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 in the Western District of New York before United States District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara and William M. Skretny effective November 1, 2007. See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding. [Official rules document](https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/content/hon-richard-j-arcara) · Source page web_or_saved_capture · Collected 2026-10-27 #### Motion practice Requests for injunctive relief shall be made in the form and manner set forth in Local Rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for the Western District of New York. Requests to have the motion heard on an expedited basis must also comply with Local Rule 7(d). See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding. [Official rules document](https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/content/hon-richard-j-arcara) · Source page web_or_saved_capture · Collected 2026-10-27 ### Shared court rules - [Western District of New York — Local Rules of Civil Procedure](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/ny-shared-set-5c1f572e43f14286bea8) — WDNY federal district-court civil proceedings only; not criminal proceedings or Bankruptcy Court. [Official source](https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/sites/nywd/files/2025%20Local%20Rules%20of%20Civil%20Procedure%20FINAL%20-%20v3-1.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.