Established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has jurisdiction over eight counties: New York, Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan. It hears cases in Manhattan, White Plains and Middletown, New York.

Between late 1949 and early 1951, three trials in the Southern District of New York helped define an era in American life.