--- title: "William Francis Kuntz II | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-francis-kuntz-ii" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # William Francis Kuntz II U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern 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 - Judge, District Court, E.D. New York, 2011-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, having assumed senior status on January 1, 2022 - Adjunct associate professor, Brooklyn Law School, 1987-2003 - Official court page: US Courts – Judge William F. Kuntz Eastern District of New York ### Education - Kuntz graduated from Fordham Preparatory School in 1968, obtained an A.B. in 1972 from Harvard College, an M.A. in American History in 1974, and a Ph.D. in American History in 1979 from Harvard University. - Harvard University — J.D. (1977) - Harvard Law School in — J.D. (1977) ### Additional information - Nominated: March 9, 2011, by President Barack Obama to a seat vacated by Judge Nina Gershon - Private practice, New York City, 1978-2011 - He also held the role of Commissioner for the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board from 1987 to 2010 - Born June 24, 1950, New York City. - Date of birth: 1950-01-01 - overseeing investigations into NYPD conduct - Birth place: New York, 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/1393776) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393776) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393776) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1830/william-francis-kuntz-ii/) - [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/1830/william-francis-kuntz-ii/) - [Wikidata: William Francis Kuntz](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8009316) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-francis-kuntz-ii", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-francis-kuntz-ii", "name": "William Francis Kuntz II | KnowJudges", "description": "William Francis Kuntz II, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. 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/william-francis-kuntz-ii#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-francis-kuntz-ii#judge", "name": "William Francis Kuntz II", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-francis-kuntz-ii", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393776", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1830/william-francis-kuntz-ii/" ], "birthDate": "1950", "birthPlace": "New York, NY", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Fordham Preparatory School" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard College" } ] }, { "@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": "William Francis Kuntz II", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-francis-kuntz-ii" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 5 | 1 | Not available | 1 | | 5y | 449 | 415 | 3.4 | 415 | | 10y | 2078 | 2021 | 5.8 | 2021 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [SDNY and EDNY — Joint Local Civil and Criminal Rules](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/ny-shared-set-201c11a4597834a9a953) — Federal district-court proceedings only. Civil and criminal sections have distinct scope and district-specific exceptions. Not Bankruptcy Court rules. [Official source](https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/local_rules/2026-01-02%20-%20EDNY%20and%20SDNY%20Joint%20Local%20Rules%20As%20Amended.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.