Announcements & News

On Constitution Day (September 17), the FCBA announced the winners of its Tenth Annual Constitution Contest. A record 40 high school students from the Northern District entered this year's Contest, which (as last year) offered two categories: (1) video essays shorter...

By Michael G. Langan, Murphy J. Foss and Greg R. Wells[1] On April 10, 2024, the NDNY-FCBA published an article that cited five of the approximately 13 federal court cases that existed at the time in which parties were admonished or sanctioned for filing documents...

Dear Colleagues, In my previous message, I wrote about the erosion of civility in our courtrooms and the need to restore professional standards that honor our federal practice traditions.  Today, I address a related but more urgent concern: the transformation of our...

Interviewed By Janelle A. Pelli Paul Evangelista is the NDNY’s newest Magistrate Judge, having taken the bench in January 2025. He discussed his career in private practice and at the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Albany, advice for criminal defense...

The Federal Court Bar Association’s Trial Advocacy Training Program recently celebrated the graduation of its third annual class. In September, 12 attorneys from across the Northern District traveled to Albany for the two-day program, where they split into three teams...

The NDNY-FCBA Constitutional Scholars Program is now accepting entries into its Tenth Annual Constitution Contest.  As in past years, entries – which may be submitted by all students in grades nine through twelve in the Northern District of New York – must regard the...

By Eric Schillinger, Assistant Federal Public Defender As part of this year’s Law Day events across the Northern District of New York, I had the privilege of joining U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Evangelista, and attorney Mara...

By Janelle Pelli Tina Sciocchetti is a partner at Nixon Peabody. A Capital Region native, she discussed her prior jobs as a federal prosecutor in Albany and Washington D.C., her transition to private practice, and her efforts to forge stronger bonds among lawyers...

By Eric Nordby Dear Colleagues, Last month, I became aware of something that gave me pause. During a routine motion hearing, opposing counsel launched into what can only be described as a personal attack on his adversary’s character and competence. The judge quickly...