Matthew Alexander Schwartz at a glance
- Current role
- U.S. Circuit Judge
- Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Jurisdiction
- National federal courts · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Matthew Alexander Schwartz
U.S. Circuit Judge · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Available research
Biography
Professional career
- From 2007 to 2026, Schwartz was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City, focusing on securities law, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust, bank regulation, contracts, constitutional and administrative law, and commercial litigation. He also held the role of personal counsel to President Trump in several cases, including the Stormy Daniels hush money appeal.
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States, 2006-2007
- Professional Career: Private practice, New York City, 2004-2006, 2007-2026
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Samuel A. Alito, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 2003-2004
Judicial service
- Matthew Alexander Schwartz (born October 1978, New York City) is an American judge serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, appointed by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the Senate on July 14, 2026.
- Nomination: April 27, 2026, by President Trump to replace Debra Ann Livingston.
- Senate Judiciary Committee vote: June 18, 2026 — 12–10 party line.
- Senate confirmation: July 14, 2026 — 50–45 vote.
- Commission issued: July 24, 2026.
- As a circuit judge, Schwartz hears appeals in federal cases within the Second Circuit’s jurisdiction, which covers New York, Connecticut, and parts of Vermont and New Jersey.
Education
- Princeton University · B.A., 2000
- Columbia Law School · J.D., 2003
Courtroom rules and guidance
Appellate Oral Argument
In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation.
Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessaryFederal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762140Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure