UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
S O U T H E R N DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
Office of the District Court Executive
LAURA TAYLOR SWAIN EDWARD A. FRIEDLAND
Chief Judge District Court Executive
June 24, 2026
SOUTHERN DISTRICT BOARD OF JUDGES APPOINT HON. SEAN H. LANE TO SERVE AS
CHIEF JUDGE OF UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2026.
The Board of Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has
appointed the Honorable Sean H. Lane to serve as the next Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy
Court in the Southern District of New York.
Judge Lane has served on the bench of the Bankruptcy Court since September 7, 2010. Prior to his
appointment, Judge Lane served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New
York, including serving as the Chief of the Tax & Bankruptcy Unit of that Office.
He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Edmund V. Ludwig, United States District Judge for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania, from 1991-92. Judge Lane also clerked for the Honorable Charles R.
Richey, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, from 1992-93. From 1993 through 1997,
he practiced with the law firm of Baker Hostetler in Washington, D.C., and thereafter he served as a Trial
Attorney in the Department of Justice, Civil Division, National Courts Section. During his time in the US
Attorney's Office, he was awarded the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award in 2005 and 2010
and the Henry L. Stimson Medal by the New York City Bar Association in 2008.
Judge Lane is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a member of the American Bar
Council, and a member of the International Insolvency Institute. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at
both New York University School of Law and Fordham Law School.
Judge Lane’s Chief Judge appointment is effective as of August 1, 2026. He is replacing current
Chief Judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Judge Martin Glenn, who has announced his intent to retire on
September 30, 2026.
“Judge Lane has distinguished himself in government service in several capacities in the
Department of Justice and, over the past fifteen years as a judge of the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern
District of New York.” said Chief District Judge Laura Taylor Swain. “His mastery of case management
and substantive law, his demeanor on the bench and his leadership qualities have earned him the deep
respect of the bar and his colleagues. Although succeeding Chief Judge Glenn will be no small task, we are
confident that the Bankruptcy Court will continue to flourish in its leading national role in complex
domestic and international matters as well as in its judicious attention to matters directly affecting residents
and communities within the Southern District of New York. We are delighted that he is taking on this new
phase of his exemplary service to the bench, bar and community.
