Sidney H. Stein at a glance
- Current role
- Senior Judge
- Jurisdiction
- New York · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Sidney H. Stein
Senior 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 · Senior · March 17, 1995–present · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Appointment method
- Presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
- Appointing authority
- William J. Clinton
- Source authority
- Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory
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Biography
Professional career
- Judge, District Court, S.D. New York, 1995-2010
- Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995 and assuming senior status in 2010
- Stanley H. Fuld, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals He then entered private practice in New York City (1974–1995) and subsequently became a founding partner of the litigation firm Stein, Zauderer, Ellenhorn, Frischer & Sharp (1981–1995)
- Law clerk, Hon. Stanley Fuld, New York State Court of Appeals, 1972-1973
Education
- Yale University — J.D. (1972)
- Princeton University — B.A. (1967)
- New York University
Additional information
- He has received the Stanley H. Fuld Award (2003) and the Edward Weinfeld Award (2012)
- New York Army National Guard, 1969-1975
- Date of birth: 1945-01-01
- Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
- Stein has authored over 900 judicial opinions and has participated in numerous professional and public service roles, including boards for Prisoner’s Legal Services of New York and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
- Birth place: Passaic, NJ
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 (20 excerpts)
See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding.
Official rules document ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27
Communications with chambers
A. Letters. Except as otherwise provided below, communications with chambers shall be by letter filed electronically on ECF. Copies of correspondence between counsel shall not be sent to the Court. Courtesy copies of letters filed via ECF are not necessary.
Source page 1Communications with chambers
B. Telephone Calls. Except as provided in Paragraph 1(D) and Paragraph 3(B)(i) below, telephone calls to chambers are permitted only in emergency situations requiring immediate attention. In such situations only, call chambers at (212) 805-0192.
Source page 1Adjournments
E. Requests for Adjournments or Extensions of Time. All requests for adjournments or extensions of time must be made in writing and filed on ECF as letter motions. All such letter motions must state: (1) the original date, (2) the number of previous requests for adjournment or extension, (3) whether these previous requests were granted or denied, and (4) whether the adversary consents, and, if not, the reasons given by the adversary for refusing to consent. If the requested adjournment or extension affects any other scheduled dates, a proposed Revised Scheduling Order (reflecting only business days) must be attached.
Source page 1Adjournments
i. If the request is for an adjournment of a court appearance, absent an emergency it shall be made at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled appearance.
Source page 1Communications with chambers
A. Courtesy Copies of a New Complaint. After a civil case has been electronically filed and assigned to Judge Stein, the filing attorney shall submit a paper copy of the initiating pleadings to chambers within five business days of the filing. The paper copy shall be submitted in accordance with SDNY policies regarding mail deliveries.
Source page 1Motion practice
B. Pre-Motion Conferences in Civil Cases. Pre-motion conferences are not required.
Source page 1Motion practice
C. Memoranda of Law. Memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions, if filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, may not exceed 8,750 words, and reply briefs may not exceed 3,500 words. If filed by a party who is not represented by an attorney and handwritten or prepared with a typewriter, memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions may not exceed 25 pages, and reply memoranda may not exceed 10 pages. Memoranda that are 3,500 words or more or 10 pages or more shall contain a table of contents and a table of authorities, which are not included in these page or word limits. However, footnotes and endnotes are included in these limits.
Source page 2Motion practice
D. Filing of Motion Papers. Each party shall file its motion papers at the same time as they are served.
Source page 2Communications with chambers
E. Courtesy Copies. The moving party shall furnish a complete set of courtesy copies to chambers as soon as is practical after a motion has been fully briefed. Courtesy copies shall be marked as such and submitted in accordance with SDNY policies regarding mail deliveries.
Source page 2Discovery
G. Discovery Disputes. Any party wishing to raise a discovery dispute with the Court must first meet and confer in good faith with the opposing party, in person if the attorneys practice in New York, in an effort to resolve the dispute. If this meet-and-confer process does not resolve the dispute, any party may submit a letter to the Court via ECF, no longer than three pages, explaining the nature of the dispute and requesting an informal conference. Such letter must include a representation that the meet-and-confer process occurred and was unsuccessful. If the opposing party wishes to respond to the letter, it must do so within two business days.
Source page 2Trial exhibits and witnesses
Joint Pretrial Orders in Civil Cases. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, 45 days prior to trial, the parties shall submit to the Court for its approval a joint pretrial order that
Source page 2Trial exhibits and witnesses
vi. A statement as to whether or not all parties have consented to trial of the case by a magistrate judge (without identifying which parties have or have not so consented).
Source page 3Motion practice
xiii. Motions addressing any evidentiary or other issues which should be resolved in limine; and
Source page 3Motion practice
4. Applications for Entry of Default Judgment. Parties seeking entry of a default judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(b)(2) and Local Civil Rule 55.2(b) shall move, on notice to the adversary, specifying a return date at least 10 days from the date of service, returnable at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 23A. The motion shall include: (a) the notice of motion;
Source page 4Filing and working copies
A. Sealing/Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
Source page 4Motion practice
B. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the Court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
Source page 4Motion practice
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
Source page 4Motion practice
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
Source page 4Motion practice
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
Source page 4Filing and working copies
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
Source page 4Shared 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 March 17, 1995 · 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 ↗