You might have seen her name popping up in heated social media threads or news snippets lately. If you're asking is sarah netburn still a judge, the short answer is a definitive yes. But there is a massive "but" attached to that answer, and it has everything to do with a promotion that didn't go as planned.
She is currently serving as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). She's been in that building since 2012. However, the reason everyone is Googling her name right now isn't about her daily docket; it's about the fact that her path to becoming a permanent, lifetime District Judge hit a brick wall in Washington.
It’s a weird quirk of the American legal system. Magistrate judges are important—they handle high-stakes hearings and settlement conferences—but they aren't "life-tenured" like the big-league District Judges. Sarah Netburn was nominated for that big-league spot, and things got incredibly messy.
The Nomination That Sparked a Firestorm
In early 2024, President Biden tapped Netburn to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. On paper, she looked like a standard pick. She’s well-qualified according to the American Bar Association. She has years of experience. She’s already working in the court she was nominated for.
Then came the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.
Politics is rarely quiet, but this was a different level of noise. Republicans, led by Senator Lindsey Graham, dug into a specific 2022 recommendation Netburn made. The case involved a 6'2" biological male, a convicted sex offender who identifies as a woman, whom Netburn recommended be transferred to a female prison facility.
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The Bureau of Prisons wasn't on board. Republicans were even less on board. During the hearings, the questioning became incredibly sharp, moving from legal philosophy to biological definitions. At one point, Netburn mentioned she hadn't studied biology in a specific context regarding sex-based chromosomes, a clip that went viral almost instantly.
Why she didn't get the "Promotion"
Usually, when a Democratic president nominates someone and the Democrats control the Senate, the nominee sails through. Not this time. In July 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-11 against her.
One Democrat, Senator Jon Ossoff, joined the Republicans to block her. It was a rare bipartisan rejection. Because the committee didn't report her nomination favorably to the full Senate, her path forward essentially froze.
By January 3, 2025, her nomination was officially returned to the White House. This happens when the Senate session ends without a vote. It’s basically the government's way of saying, "Let’s just pretend this didn't happen and clear the desk."
Her Current Status in 2026
So, where does that leave her today?
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She is still working. As of early 2026, Sarah Netburn remains a Chief Magistrate Judge in the SDNY. Her current term as a magistrate judge doesn't actually expire until 2028. Magistrate judges are appointed by the other judges on the court, not the President, so her job is secure for the time being regardless of what happened in the Senate.
If you walk into the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in Manhattan, her name is still on the door of Courtroom 219. She is still:
- Overseeing the Young Adult Opportunity Program, helping defendants find education and employment.
- Handling discovery disputes in massive civil lawsuits.
- Managing settlement conferences where she tries to get parties to agree before they go to a full trial.
- Signing off on warrants and presiding over initial appearances for criminal defendants.
Honestly, for most lawyers in New York, she’s just "Judge Netburn," a familiar face who has been on the bench for over a decade. The national political drama hasn't stripped her of her current black robe; it just prevented her from getting a different one.
The "Biological Male" Controversy Explained
To understand why the question of is sarah netburn still a judge is so loaded, you have to look at the inmate transfer case. The inmate, William "Adryann" Rodgers, had a history that included sexual abuse of a minor.
Netburn's logic was based on the Gender Identity Policy of the Bureau of Prisons. She argued that the risk to other inmates was "theoretical" and that the inmate’s rights under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) needed to be considered.
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The backlash was swift. Women’s rights groups and several female inmates filed objections. They argued that placing a convicted male sex offender in a women’s facility was a direct threat to safety. When reports later surfaced alleging the inmate exposed himself to women in the facility, the political ammunition against Netburn’s promotion became insurmountable.
What’s Next for Judge Netburn?
Since the Senate returned her nomination in early 2025, there hasn't been a serious push to re-nominate her. With the political climate being what it is, it’s highly unlikely she’ll be put through that ringer again anytime soon.
She’ll likely finish out her term as Chief Magistrate Judge. When 2028 rolls around, the District Judges of the Southern District of New York will vote on whether to reappoint her for another eight-year term. That is a local process, far away from the cameras of C-SPAN and the floor of the U.S. Senate.
Key Takeaways for Your Research:
- Current Role: Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York.
- Term End: Her current term expires in 2028.
- The Failed Promotion: She was nominated for a lifetime District Court seat in 2024 but was blocked in a bipartisan committee vote.
- Workload: She continues to handle a full docket of federal cases in Manhattan.
If you are tracking her cases or need to appear before her, you can still find her individual practices and scheduling orders on the official SDNY website. Her daily operations haven't changed, even if her career trajectory did.
For anyone following federal judicial appointments, the best next step is to monitor the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Executive Business Meetings and the White House Briefing Room for new nominations to the SDNY. These sources will confirm if a new candidate is selected to fill the seat Sarah Netburn was originally intended for, which will settle the final chapter of this specific judicial vacancy.