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United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

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Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Third Circuit
Eastern district of PA seal.gif
Judgeships
Posts: 22
Judges: 22
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Wendy Beetlestone
Active judges:
Wendy Beetlestone, Mary Kay Costello, Paul Diamond, John Gallagher, Mitchell Goldberg, Catherine Henry, Kelley Hodge, Mark A. Kearney, Chad F. Kenney Sr., Joseph F. Leeson Jr., Karen Marston, Gerald Austin McHugh Jr., John Frank Murphy, Gerald J. Pappert, Mia Roberts Perez, Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro, Juan Sanchez, Jeffrey L. Schmehl, Kai Scott, Gail Weilheimer, Joshua Wolson, John M. Younge

Senior judges:
Harvey Bartle, Michael Baylson, Anita Brody, Ronald Buckwalter, Legrome Davis, Jan DuBois, Darnell Jones, Robert Kelly, John Padova Sr., Eduardo Robreno, Cynthia Rufe, Timothy J. Savage, Berle Schiller, Joel Slomsky, Richard Barclay Surrick, Petrese Tucker, William Yohn


The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of 94 United States district courts. It is one of the original thirteen federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789.

When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit based in downtown Philadelphia at the James Byrne Courthouse.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are two current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, out of the court's 22 judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.


Active judges

Article III judges

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Paul Diamond

George W. Bush (R)

June 22, 2004 -

Columbia, 1974

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1977

Juan Sanchez

George W. Bush (R)

June 24, 2004 -

City University of New York, City College, 1978

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1981

Mitchell Goldberg

George W. Bush (R)

October 31, 2008 -

Ithaca College, 1981

Temple University Law, 1986

Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro

Barack Obama (D)

June 19, 2013 -

University of Puerto Rico, 1972

University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1975

Jeffrey L. Schmehl

Barack Obama (D)

June 25, 2013 -

Dickinson College, 1977

University of Toledo Law, 1980

Gerald Austin McHugh Jr.

Barack Obama (D)

March 28, 2014 -

St. Joseph's University

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1979

Wendy Beetlestone

Barack Obama (D)

November 21, 2014 -

Liverpool University, 1984

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1993

Gerald J. Pappert

Barack Obama (D)

December 4, 2014 -

Villanova University, 1985

University of Notre Dame, 1988

Mark A. Kearney

Barack Obama (D)

December 4, 2014 -

Villanova University, 1984

Villanova University Law, 1987

Joseph F. Leeson Jr.

Barack Obama (D)

December 5, 2014 -

DeSales University, 1977

Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, 1980

Chad F. Kenney Sr.

Donald Trump (R)

October 24, 2018 -

Villanova University

Temple University

Joshua Wolson

Donald Trump (R)

May 28, 2019 -

University of Pennsylvania, 1996

Harvard Law School, 1999

John M. Younge

Donald Trump (R)

August 20, 2019 -

Boston University, 1977

Howard University, 2011

Karen Marston

Donald Trump (R)

December 20, 2019 -

Davidson College, 1990

Wake Forest University School of Law, 1998

John Gallagher

Donald Trump (R)

December 31, 2019 -

Long Island University, 1989

New York Law School, 1994

Mia Roberts Perez

Joe Biden (D)

December 16, 2022 -

Tufts University

Temple University, Beasley School of Law

John Frank Murphy

Joe Biden (D)

December 23, 2022 -

Cornell University, 1999

Harvard Law School, 2007

Kelley Hodge

Joe Biden (D)

December 23, 2022 -

University of Virginia, 1993

University of Richmond School of Law, 1996

Kai Scott

Joe Biden (D)

January 18, 2023 -

Hampton University, 1991

West Virginia University College of Law, 1995

Mary Kay Costello

Joe Biden (D)

September 19, 2024 -

Temple University, 1998

Temple University, Beasley School of Law, 2001

Catherine Henry

Joe Biden (D)

December 6, 2024 -

Drew University, 1991

District of Columbia School of Law, 1995

Gail Weilheimer

Joe Biden (D)

January 2, 2025 -

Hofstra University, 1992

Hofstra University School of Law, 1995


Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

  • Democratic appointed: 14
  • Republican appointed: 8

Senior judges

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Robert Kelly

Ronald Reagan (R)

July 17, 2001 -

Villanova University, 1957

Temple University Law, 1960

Jan DuBois

Ronald Reagan (R)

April 15, 2002 -

University of Pennsylvania, 1952

Yale Law School, 1957

William Yohn

George H.W. Bush (R)

November 20, 2003 -

Princeton, 1957

Yale Law, 1960

Ronald Buckwalter

George H.W. Bush (R)

December 11, 2003 -

Franklin and Marshall College, 1958

College of William and Mary Law, 1962

John Padova Sr.

George H.W. Bush (R)

February 11, 2008 -

Villanova University, 1956

Temple University Law, 1959

Anita Brody

George H.W. Bush (R)

June 8, 2009 -

Wellesley College, 1955

Columbia Law, 1958

Richard Barclay Surrick

Bill Clinton (D)

February 1, 2011 -

Dickinson College, 1960

Dickinson College, 1965

Harvey Bartle

George H.W. Bush (R)

October 1, 2011 -

Princeton, 1962

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1965

Berle Schiller

Bill Clinton (D)

June 18, 2012 -

Bowdoin College, 1965

New York University Law, 1968

Michael Baylson

George W. Bush (R)

July 13, 2012 -

University of Pennsylvania, 1961

University of Pennsylvania, 1964

Eduardo Robreno

George H.W. Bush (R)

August 31, 2013 -

Westfield State College, 1967

Rutgers University Law, 1978

Legrome Davis

George W. Bush (R)

September 28, 2017 -

Princeton University, 1973

Rutgers University School of Law, Camden, 1976

Joel Slomsky

George W. Bush (R)

October 9, 2018 -

City University of New York, Brooklyn College, 1967

New York Law, 1970

Timothy J. Savage

George W. Bush (R)

March 1, 2021 -

Assumption College, 1968

Temple University Law, 1971

Darnell Jones

George W. Bush (R)

March 15, 2021 -

Southwestern College, 1972

The American University, 1975

Petrese Tucker

Bill Clinton (D)

June 1, 2021 -

Temple University, 1973

Temple University Law, 1976

Cynthia Rufe

George W. Bush (R)

December 31, 2021 -

Adelphi University, 1970

State University of New York, Buffalo, 1977


Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

  • Democratic appointed: 3
  • Republican appointed: 14

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.[1]

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Carol Wells

June 3, 1996 -

West Chester University, 1969

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1985

Timothy Rice

March 21, 2005 -

St. Bonaventure University, 1979

Temple University Law, 1986

David Strawbridge

April 26, 2005 -

Brown University, 1967

Villanova Law, 1971

Elizabeth Hey

April 9, 2007 -

Vassar College, 1983

Villanova University, 1989

Lynne Sitarski

October 29, 2007 -

University of Scranton, 1986

Temple University Law, 1989

Marilyn Heffley

April 21, 2014 -

University of Pittsburgh, 1981

Temple University Law, 1984

Richard A. Lloret

May 5, 2014 -

Rutgers University, 1979

Rutgers Law, 1982

Scott Reid

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

May 24, 2021 -

West Chester University

Widener University School of Law

Pamela Carlos

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

November 12, 2021 -

Franklin and Marshall College, 1986

Temple University, Beasley School of Law, 1989


Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.[2]

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.[3][4][5]

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.[3][4][5]

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.[2][3][4][5]

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.[6]


Former judges

For more about the judges of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, see category:Former federal judge, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Jurisdiction

Pennsylvania counties (click for larger map)

The Eastern District of Pennsylvania has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania consists of all the following counties in the eastern part of the state:

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2024. Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania caseload stats, 2010-2023
Year Cases Filed Cases Terminated Cases Pending Number of Judgeships Vacant Judgeship Months Average Total Filings per Judgeship Trials Completed per Judgeship Median time from filing to disposition, criminal Median time from filing to disposition, civil Three-year civil cases (#) Three-year civil cases (%)
2010 56,815 86,453 29,354 22 17 2,583 16 14 6 8,671 31
2011 48,659 55,957 20,144 22 38 2,212 15 14 2 5,690 30
2012 11,799 17,046 15,227 22 60 536 16 16 15 3,045 23
2013 11,274 14,517 12,017 22 74 512 14 15 9 865 8
2014 10,815 12,560 10,335 22 64 492 13 16 5 2,001 23
2015 10,502 12,980 7,870 22 24 477 12 14 5 1,404 22
2016 8,992 8,710 8,156 22 36 409 10 14 6 1,519 22
2017 8,162 8,551 7,747 22 48 371 10 15 6 1,297 20
2018 7,644 7,698 7,689 22 67 347 6 14 6 1,015 16
2019 8,382 7,425 8,704 22 59 381 9 15 6 1,507 21
2020 7,714 6,262 10,123 22 21 351 3 14 6 1,551 18
2021 6,918 7,113 9,892 22 44 314 6 22 7 1,831 21
2022 6,495 7,081 9,280 22 48 295 7 21 7 2,370 30
2023 8,064 8,200 8,090 22 38.4 367 6 22 5 2,057 30
Average 15,160 18,611 11,759 22 46 689 10 16 6 2,487 22

History

The United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania was one of the original thirteen districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. In 1818, it was divided into two districts, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District court.

In 1901, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania was carved out of the Eastern and Western districts.[7]

Date Event
September 14, 1789 The Judiciary Act of 1789 organized Pennsylvania as one judicial district with one authorized judgeship, appeals going to the United States Court of Appeals for the Middle Circuit.
February 13, 1801 The Judiciary Act of 1801 divided the federal courts into six circuits and assigned the District of Pennsylvania to the Third Circuit.
April 29, 1802 The Judiciary Act of 1802, although repealing the Judiciary Act of 1801, repeated breaking the federal courts into six circuits and assigning the District of Pennsylvania to the Third Circuit.
April 20, 1818 Eastern District is carved out of the District of Pennsylvania with one authorized judgeship and established as court for appeals and writs of error from decisions in the new Western District.
May 15, 1820 Congress decides that the Eastern District will no longer hear appeals and writs of error from the Western District of Pennsylvania.
March 2, 1901 The Middle District of Pennsylvania is newly-created, carved out of parts of the Eastern and Western districts.
April 1, 1904 A second judgeship is authorized for the Eastern District.
February 16, 1914 A temporary judgeship -- never made permanent -- is authorized for the Eastern District.
September 14, 1922 A temporary judgeship -- never made permanent -- is authorized for the Eastern District.
March 3, 1927 A new judgeship is authorized for the Eastern District.
June 16, 1936 A temporary judgeship is authorized for the Eastern District.
June 2, 1938 Temporary judgeship authorized in June 1936 made permanent
May 24, 1940 A temporary judgeship is authorized for the Eastern District.
December 7, 1944 Temporary judgeship authorized in May 1940 made permanent
July 24, 1946 A temporary judgeship is authorized to serve all three Pennsylvania districts.
August 3, 1949 Two additional judgeships authorized.
February 10, 1954 One additional judgeship authorized. The temporary judgeship created in July 1946 for all three districts assigned exclusively to the Middle District.
May 19, 1961 Three additional judgeships authorized.
March 18, 1966 Three temporary judgeships authorized. One of these positions is never made permanent.
June 2, 1970 Six additional judgeships authorized. Two temporary positions authorized in March 1966 made permanent.
December 1, 1990 Three additional judgeships authorized, for a total of 22 permanent judgeships. One temporary judgeship authorized.

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania:[7]

Year Statute Total Seats
September 24, 1789 1 Stat. 73 1 (Whole state)
April 20, 1818 3 Stat. 462 1
April 1, 1904 33 Stat. 155 2
February 16, 1914 38 Stat. 283 3(1 Temporary)
1914 Post Expired 2
September 14, 1922 42 Stat. 837 3(1 Temporary)
1925 Post Expired 2
March 3, 1927 44 Stat. 1347 3
June 16, 1936 49 Stat. 1523 4 (1 temporary)
June 2, 1938 52 Stat. 780 4
May 24, 1940 54 Stat. 219 5(1 Temporary)
December 7, 1944 58 Stat. 796 5
July 24, 1946 60 Stat. 654 6(1 shared temporary)
August 3, 1949 63 Stat. 493 8(1 shared temporary)
February 10, 1954 68 Stat. 8 8
May 19, 1961 75 Stat. 80 11
March 18, 1966 80 Stat. 75 14(3 Temporary)
1969 Post Expired 13
June 2, 1970 84 Stat. 294 19
December 1, 1990 104 Stat. 5089 22(1 Temporary)

Noteworthy cases

For a searchable list of opinions, please see Opinions of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Federal courthouse

The main courthouse for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is the James A. Byrne United States Courthouse in Philadelphia, named after James A. Byrne, a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1953 to 1973.

The courthouse stands 22 stories high. It houses courtrooms, judges' chambers, jury rooms, and prisoner holding areas. The building was remodeled starting in 2000 because the original brick facade had cracked and weakened from settlement over time.[22]

Judges of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania also hold court at the following locations:[23]

  • Edward N. Cahn Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  • Holmes Building in Easton, Pennsylvania
  • The Gateway Building in Reading, Pennsylvania.

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.[24][25]

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.[26]

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through September 1 of the first year of presidents' second term in office. At this point in the term, President Obama had the most district court appointments with 19.


Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.


Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.[25]

Step ApprovedA Candidacy Proceeds DefeatedA Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation Candidate becomes federal judge Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.[27]


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. U.S. District Court - NH, "Magistrate Judges," archived April 14, 2014
  2. 2.0 2.1 United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 25, 2022
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 136 - Chief judges; precedence of district judges," accessed January 25, 2022
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 258 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 45 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
  6. Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 171 - Appointment and number of judges; character of court; designation of chief judge," accessed January 25, 2022
  7. 7.0 7.1 Federal Judicial Center, "The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary," accessed April 26, 2021
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Philadelphia Inquirer, "Judge tosses suit in Tacony abuse case," May 14, 2014
  9. Courthouse News Service, "'The Worst Abuse I Have Ever Seen'," March 26, 2013
  10. 10.0 10.1 Sports World News, "NFL Concussion Lawsuit: Federal Judge Rejects Settlement With Retired Players Of $765 Million As Too Small," January 14, 2014
  11. 11.0 11.1 Philadelphia Inquirer, "Judge rejects, for now, NFL concussion settlement," January 16, 2014
  12. Associated Press, "Judge again rejects deal in NFL concussion cases," April 16, 2014
  13. Los Angeles Times, "Federal judge holds off decision on NFL concussion settlement," April 16, 2014
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Hollywood Reporter, "Will This $1 Million Court Ruling Stop Musicians from Stage Diving?" February 14, 2014
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Legal Newsline Legal Journal, "Philly asbestos judge to let Illinois federal court decide ‘bare metal defense’ issue," March 4, 2014
  16. 16.0 16.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Courthouse News Service, "Judge Allows Retaliation Claim Against Pa. County," January 13, 2014
  18. 18.0 18.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named dennismurder
  19. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, "Dennis v. Wetzel," August 21, 2013
  20. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, "Dennis v. Wetzel," August 21, 2013
  21. NBC News, "From Death Row to Freedom: The Long Journey of James Dennis," May 16, 2017
  22. EasternScaffolding.com, "Renovation of the Byrne Federal Courthouse," accessed May 26, 2021
  23. United States District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, "Court Locations," accessed April 27, 2021
  24. US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  25. 25.0 25.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  26. United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
  27. The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"