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title: "Therese Wiley Dancks | KnowJudges"
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updated: "2026-10-08"
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# Therese Wiley Dancks

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- State: New York
- Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-29

## Summary

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

## Biography

### Professional career

- Thérèse Wiley Dancks is a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, a position she has held since February 9, 2012, after her appointment on October 24, 2011.
- Before joining the bench, Dancks was a founding partner of the law firm Gale & Dancks, LLC (1997–2012)
- Official court bio: Northern District of New York Judge Biographies Northern District of New York

### Education

- Le Moyne College — B.A. (1975)

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, N.D. New York, 2012-present
- Practitioner, Gale & Dancks, LLC, 1997–2012
- Practitioner, Mackenzie Hughes, LLP, 1991–1997
- She also worked at Mackenzie Hughes, LLP from 1991 to 1997
- J.D. — Syracuse Univ. — 1991
- focusing on civil litigation and trial work.
- As a magistrate judge, she presides over federal cases in the Northern District of New York, which covers much of central New York, including Syracuse
- She has also served in leadership roles in bar associations, including as past president of the Central New York Women’s Bar Association
- Her career has been marked by numerous awards from Syracuse Law, legal organizations, and the Central New York community, reflecting her contributions to the law and her community

## 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=10)
- [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=10)
- [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=10)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9431/therese-wiley-dancks/)
- [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/9431/therese-wiley-dancks/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Therese Wiley Dancks](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9431/therese-wiley-dancks/)
- [BR/MAG Judge Database: Therese Wiley Dancks](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Northern District of New York — Local Rules of Practice](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/ny-shared-set-f70dbd16330454aeb2c4) — NDNY federal district-court proceedings only; preserve civil, criminal and specialized-section limits. [Official source](https://www.nynd.uscourts.gov/sites/nynd/files/local_rules/Local%20Rules%202026_Final.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.
