William M. Skretny at a glance
- Current role
- Senior Judge
- Jurisdiction
- New York · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
William M. Skretny
Senior Judge · U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.
Available research
Case AnalyticsPrecomputed 1Y, 2Y, 5Y, and 10Y public federal docket metrics
Biography and careerSource-attributed professional, judicial, and education record
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures2 sourced items · labeled by scope
SourcesOfficial and public records supporting this profile
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Biography
Professional career
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of New York, 1973-1981; first assistant U.S. attorney, 1975-1981
- Professional Career: Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2013-2016
- Professional Career: Private practice, Buffalo, New York, 1981-1983, 1988-1990
- Professional Career: Staff attorney, Office of Special Prosecutor, U.S. Department of Justice, 1980
- Professional Career: First deputy district attorney, Erie County, New York, 1983-1988
- Professional Career: Special counsel, Attorney General's Advocacy Institute, Washington, D.C., 1979
- Private practice, Buffalo, NY, 1988-1990
- First deputy district attorney, Erie County, NY, 1983-1988
- Private practice, Buffalo, NY, 1981-1983
- Staff attorney, Office of Special Prosecutor, U.S. Department of Justice, 1980-present
- Special counsel, Attorney General's Advocacy Institute, Washington, D.C., 1979-present
- first assistant U.S. attorney, 1975-1981
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois, 1971-1973
Judicial service
- Judge, District Court, W.D. New York, 1990-2015
Education
- Canisius College · A.B., 1966
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- Howard University School of Law · J.D., 1969
- Howard University School of Law
- Canisius University
- Northwestern University School of Law (now Pritzker School of Law) · LL.M., 1972
Personal record
Born 1945 · Buffalo, NY
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 ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
View Federal Judicial Center biography ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Courtwide source · HTML · 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 · checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗