--- title: "William M. Skretny | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-skretny" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # William M. Skretny U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western 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 - 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 - Senior United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, having assumed senior status on March 8, 2015, after 25 years on the bench - He held the role of Chief Judge of the Western District of New York from 2010 to 2015 before taking senior status - Judge, District Court, W.D. New York, 1990-2015 - First deputy district attorney, Erie County, NY, 1983-1988 - First deputy district attorney, Erie County, New York, 1983-1988 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of New York, 1973-1981; first assistant U.S. attorney, 1975-1981 - Ford Foundation Fellow and began his legal career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois (1971–1973) and later in the Western District of New York (1973–1981), rising to First Assistant U.S. Attorney - He also held the role of Chief Counsel at the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute (1979) and as a staff attorney for the Office of Special Prosecutor (1980) ### Education - Northwestern University School of Law (now Pritzker School of Law) — LL.M. (1972) ### Additional information - In January 2026, Skretny assumed inactive senior status after 35 years on the federal bench and a 55-year legal career. - Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2013-2016 - Nominated by President George H. W. Bush on June 12, 1990, Skretny was confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 1990, and commissioned on August 7, 1990. - Private practice, Buffalo, NY, 1988-1990 - Private practice, Buffalo, New York, 1981-1983, 1988-1990 - Private practice, Buffalo, NY, 1981-1983 - Born March 8, 1945, in Buffalo, New York. - Date of birth: 1945-01-01 - Birth place: Buffalo, 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/1387901) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387901) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387901) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2991/william-m-skretny/) - [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/2991/william-m-skretny/) - [Judge William M. Skretny](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387901) - [Wikidata: William M. Skretny](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8014933) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-skretny", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-skretny", "name": "William M. Skretny | KnowJudges", "description": "William M. Skretny, U.S. District Court for the Western 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-m-skretny#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-skretny#judge", "name": "William M. 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Skretny", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-m-skretny" } ] } ] } ``` ## 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 | 29 | 29 | 2.9 | 29 | | 5y | 262 | 241 | 6.1 | 241 | | 10y | 924 | 889 | 11.1 | 889 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Western District of New York — Local Rules of Civil Procedure](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/ny-shared-set-5c1f572e43f14286bea8) — WDNY federal district-court civil proceedings only; not criminal proceedings or Bankruptcy Court. [Official source](https://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/sites/nywd/files/2025%20Local%20Rules%20of%20Civil%20Procedure%20FINAL%20-%20v3-1.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.