THE ONE-YEAR statute of limitations for seeking federal court confirmation of an award under the Federal Arbitration Act is to be strictly construed, a Southern District judge has ruled.

Running contrary to most other federal courts that have considered the issue, Senior Judge Whitman Knapp said that the “plain language” of the act, and an analogous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, dictate that the one-year limitation period is mandatory and not permissive.