Richard Joseph Arcara

Richard Joseph Arcara
Senior Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2015
Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
In office February 22, 1988 – January 3, 2015
Appointed by	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	John T. Elfvin
Succeeded by	Lawrence J. Vilardo
Personal details
Born	1940 (age 83–84) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	St. Bonaventure University Villanova University School of Law

Richard Joseph Arcara (born 1940) is a Senior United States federal judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.

Early life and education

Born in Buffalo, New York, Arcara received a B.A. from St. Bonaventure University in 1962 and a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 1965. He was a Captain in the United States Army, Military Police Corps from 1966 to 1967.

Legal career

He was in private practice in Buffalo, New York from 1968 to 1969. He joined the office of the United States Attorney of the Western District of New York in 1969, first as an assistant until 1973, then as a first assistant from 1973 to 1974, finally becoming the district's United States from 1975 to 1981. He was then an Erie County, New York district attorney from 1982 to 1988.

Judicial service

On August 7, 1987, Arcara was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of New York vacated by John T. Elfvin, who assumed senior status. Arcara was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 19, 1988, and received his commission on February 22, 1988. He became chief judge of the district in 2003.

Notable rulings

Arcara presided over the trial of James Charles Kopp, who was convicted in 2003 for the 1998 sniper-style murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian, an American physician from Amherst, New York who performed abortions. Judge Arcara also presided over the internationally significant Robert Rhodes trial in 2005. Rhodes, a United States Customs and Border Protection Officer, was arrested and indicted for beating a Chinese National on the US-Canadian border in Niagara Falls, NY. The incident was addressed by then Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Homeland Security Thomas Ridge when the Chinese Foreign Minister accused the United States of human rights violations by Rhodes' actions. Rhodes was acquitted after a high profile trial in August 2005, presided over by Chief Judge Arcara. He assumed senior status on January 3, 2015.

Sources

• Richard Joseph Arcara at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

• http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=2096531dd16c14d6693109e895dc2082

Legal offices
Preceded by John T. Elfvin	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York 1988–2015	Succeeded by Lawrence J. Vilardo