United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York

The United States attorney for the Northern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in 32 counties in the northern part of the State of New York. The position is currently vacant.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York has jurisdiction over all cases prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney. Its jurisdiction comprises the counties of Albany, Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, and Washington.

The court has offices in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, Syracuse and Utica. The court also holds court at facilities in Watertown.

History The original District of New York, established in 1789, was divided in 1814 into the Southern and the Northern District. In 1900, the Western District, comprising 17 counties, was separated from the Northern District.

Second Trump administration In the second Trump administration, John A. Sarcone III was sworn in for a 120-day term on March 17, 2025, by Attorney General Pamela Bondi per . As that term was about to expire, on July 14, 2025, Bondi appointed Sarcone as "special attorney to the attorney general" and then as first assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of New York. Per the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, he then was designated as the acting U.S. attorney for a period of 210 days, though the letter from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys claimed the term was indefinite. Sarcone has not been nominated by the President as U.S. attorney, and said he expected his designation to be temporary as he expected to be appointed as a judge downstate. The Board of Judges of the District Court had the power to appoint Sarcone or another person as U.S. Attorney until someone was appointed by the President after nomination and Senate confirmation, but the Board of Judges declined to exercise that appointment power, described in a New York Times article as a "rare move". Special attorneys have normally been named to lead a particular prosecution, and have seemingly never been used for someone acting as a U.S. attorney, with University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias saying he'd "never heard of that being done" and "It seems like they're making this up as they go along."

On February 12, 2026, the Northern District of New York appointed Donald T. Kinsella as U.S. attorney. The same day, the Department of Justice dismissed Kinsella as U.S. attorney.

List of U.S. attorneys for the Northern District of New York Roger Skinner: 1815 – 1819 Jacob Sutherland: 1819 – 1823 Samuel Beardsley: 1823 – 1831 Nathaniel S. Benton: 1831 – 1841 Joshua A. Spencer: 1841 – 1845 William F. Allen: 1845 – 1847 George W. Clinton: 1847 – 1850 James R. Lawrence: 1850 – 1853 Henry A. Foster: 1853 (nominated and confirmed, but declined to take office) John B. Skinner: 1853 (nominated and confirmed, but declined to take office) Samuel B. Garvin: 1853 – 1857 James Clark Spencer: 1857 – 1861 William A. Dart: 1861 – 1866 George G. Munger 1866 – 1867 William Dorsheimer: 1867 – 1871 Richard Crowley: 1871 – 1879 Martin I. Townsend: 1879 – 1886 Daniel N. Lockwood: 1886 – 1889 De Alva S. Alexander: 1889 – 1893 William A. Poucher: 1893 – 1897 Emory P. Close: 1897 – 1899 Charles H. Brown: 1899 – 1900 George B. Curtiss: 1900 – 1913 John H. Gleason: 1913 – 1916 Dennis B. Lucey: 1916 – 1921 Clarence E. Williams: 1921 Hiram C. Todd: 1921 – 1922 Earle Gallufo: 1922 Benjamin C. Mead: 1922 – 1923 Oliver D. Burden: 1923 – 1936 Ralph L. Emmons: 1936 – 1943 Irving J. Higbee: 1943 – 1951 Edmund Port: 1951 – 1953 Anthony F. Caffrey: 1953 Theodore F. Bowes: 1953 – 1961 Justin J. Mahoney: 1961 – 1969 James M. Sullivan, Jr.: 1969 Samuel T. Betts III: 1969 – 1973 James M. Sullivan, Jr.: 1973 – 1976 Paul V. French: 1976 – 1978 George H. Lowe: 1978 – 1982 Gustave J. DiBianco: 1982 Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.: 1982 – 1992 Gary L. Sharpe: 1992 – 1994 Thomas J. Maroney: 1994 – 1999 Daniel J. French: 1999 – 2001 Joseph A. Pavone (Acting) 2001 – 2002 Glenn T. Suddaby: October 25, 2002 – September 5, 2008 Andrew T. Baxter (Acting): 2008 – 2010 Richard S. Hartunian: February 19, 2010 – June 30, 2017 Grant C. Jaquith: June 30, 2017 – September 3, 2020 Antoinette T. Bacon (Acting): September 3, 2020 – October 8, 2021 Carla B. Freedman: October 8, 2021 – February 17, 2025 Daniel Hanlon (Acting): February 17, 2025 – March 17, 2025 John A. Sarcone III (Acting): March 17, 2025 – January 8, 2026 (appointment found unlawful by court) Donald Kinsella: Midday of February 12, 2026 — Evening of February 12, 2026

References