Once a "leisurely one man court," the Southern District of New York currently has forty-four United States District Judges and seventeen United States Magistrate Judges presiding over one of the highest civil caseload in the country. These forty-six men and thirteen women determine matters ranging from admiralty business, the backbone of the Court’s work in early years, to anti-trust prosecutions, patent, copyright, trademark, anti-racketeering, income tax, and violations of Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) laws. Occasionally, one or more of the District (Article III) Judges of the Southern District of New York may sit by designation on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Prior to appearing before the Court, all parties should be familiar with the Individual Practices of the judge who has been assigned to their case.