--- title: "Stefan R. Underhill | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stefan-r-underhill" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Stefan R. Underhill U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut - State: Connecticut - 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 - Judge, District Court, D. Connecticut, 1999-present - Senior United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut, appointed in 1999 and elevated to senior status in 2022 - held the role of law clerk to Judge Jon O. Newman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1984–1985) - Senior Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, with chambers at the Federal Building, 915 Lafayette Boulevard, Suite 411, Bridgeport, CT District of Connecticut ### Education - Yale University — J.D. (1984) - University of Oxford — B.A. (1981) - University of Virginia-Main Campus — B.A. (1978) - in Interdisciplinary Studies — University of Virginia — B.A. (1978) - Merton College ### Additional information - Private practice, Stamford, CT, 1984-present - Chief Judge: September 1, 2018 – November 1, 2022. - Appointed: January 26, 1999, by President Bill Clinton to replace. - Commissioned: July 7, 1999. - Confirmed: June 30, 1999, by the Senate (94–4 vote). - Private practice, Stamford, CT, 1985-1999 - Practiced law in Stamford, CT, at Day, Berry & Howard LLP (1984–1999) - Date of birth: 1956-01-01 - focusing on commercial litigation, insurance coverage, intellectual property, and appellate work District of Connecticut. - Rarely grants dispositive motions without oral argument. - Encourages early resolution of discovery disputes District of Connecticut. - Often rules from the bench. - Uses conference calls for scheduling and case progress. - He is known for often ruling from the bench, preferring oral arguments on dispositive motions when issues remain unresolved, and generally referring most settlement conferences to magistrate judges or special masters District of Connecticut. - Professional activities included involvement with the Federal Bar Council, Connecticut Bar Association and Connecticut Legal Services. - Birth place: Battle Creek, MI ## 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/1390966) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390966) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390966) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3285/stefan-r-underhill/) - [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) - [Federal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges](https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/judges.csv) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3285/stefan-r-underhill/) - [Wikidata: Stefan R. Underhill](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7606245) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stefan-r-underhill", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stefan-r-underhill", "name": "Stefan R. Underhill | KnowJudges", "description": "Stefan R. Underhill, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stefan-r-underhill#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stefan-r-underhill#judge", "name": "Stefan R. 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Underhill", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stefan-r-underhill" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 45 | 2 | Not available | 2 | | 2y | 178 | 20 | 1.7 | 20 | | 5y | 712 | 317 | 6.6 | 317 | | 10y | 1597 | 1196 | 8.1 | 1196 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [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.