United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
(W.D. Pa.)
Appeals to Third Circuit
Established April 20, 1818
Judges assigned 10
Chief judge Gary L. Lancaster
Official site

The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, W.D. Pa.) sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. The Honorable Judge Gary L. Lancaster is currently Chief Judge of the Western Pennsylvania District. Steven Richard Frank is currently the nominee of President Barack Obama (as of June 2011) to be the United States Marshal for the Western Pennsylvania District Court. Appeals from this court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

Contents

History

The United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789.[1][2] It was subdivided on April 20, 1818, by 3 Stat. 462,[1][2] into the Eastern and Western Districts to be headquartered in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, respectively.[1] Portions of these districts were subsequently subdivided into the Middle District on March 2, 1901, by 31 Stat. 880.[2] At the time of its initial subdivision, presiding judge Richard Peters, Jr. was reassigned to only the Eastern District. This made it possible for President James Monroe to appoint Jonathan Hoge Walker as the first judge of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Current judges

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
46 Chief Judge Gary L. Lancaster Pittsburgh 1949 1993–present 2009–present — Clinton
48 District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin Erie 1955 1994–present — — Clinton
49 District Judge Joy Flowers Conti Pittsburgh 1948 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
50 District Judge David S. Cercone Pittsburgh 1952 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
51 District Judge Terrence F. McVerry Pittsburgh 1943 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
52 District Judge Arthur J. Schwab Pittsburgh 1946 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
53 District Judge Kim R. Gibson Johnstown 1948 2003–present — — G.W. Bush
55 District Judge Nora Barry Fischer Pittsburgh 1951 2007–present — — G.W. Bush
56 District Judge Cathy Bissoon Pittsburgh 1968 2011–present — — Obama
57 District Judge Mark R. Hornak Pittsburgh 1956 2011–present — — Obama
34 Senior District Judge Maurice Blanchard Cohill Jr. Erie / Pittsburgh 1929 1976–1994 1985–1992 1994–present Ford
35 Senior District Judge Paul Allen Simmons inactive 1921 1978–1990 (none) 1990–present Carter
36 Senior District Judge Gustave Diamond Pittsburgh 1928 1978–1994 1992–1994 1994–present Carter
38 Senior District Judge Alan Neil Bloch Pittsburgh 1932 1979–1997 (none) 1997–present Carter
41 Senior District Judge William Lloyd Standish Pittsburgh 1930 1987–2002 (none) 2002–present Reagan
45 Senior District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose Pittsburgh 1945 1993–2010 2002–2009 2010–present Clinton

Former judges

Judge Appointed by Began active
service		 Ended active
service		 Ended senior
status		 End reason
Marcus Wilson Acheson Rutherford B. Hayes 01880-01-14 January 14, 1880 01891-02-09 February 9, 1891 – reappointment
Joseph Buffington Benjamin Harrison 01892-02-23 February 23, 1892 01906-09-26 September 26, 1906 – reappointment
Owen McIntosh Burns Harry S. Truman 01949-10-21 October 21, 1949[3] 01952-10-26 October 26, 1952 – death
Robert J. Cindrich Bill Clinton 01994-10-07 October 7, 1994 02004-01-30 January 30, 2004 – resignation
Edward Dumbauld John F. Kennedy 01961-08-03 August 3, 1961 01976-12-31 December 31, 1976 01997-09-06 September 6, 1997 death
Nathaniel Ewing Theodore Roosevelt 01906-09-25 September 25, 1906[4] 01908-01-31 January 31, 1908 – resignation
Frederick Voris Follmer Harry S. Truman 01946-08-07 August 7, 1946 01955-06-01 June 1, 1955 – assignment to another court
Robert Murray Gibson Warren G. Harding 01922-07-24 July 24, 1922 01949-01-31 January 31, 1949 01949-12-19 December 19, 1949 death
Wallace Samuel Gourley Harry S. Truman 01945-11-29 November 29, 1945 01969-08-04 August 4, 1969 01976-09-23 September 23, 1976 death
Thomas Hardiman George W. Bush 02003-10-27 October 27, 2003 02007-04-05 April 5, 2007 – reappointment
Thomas Irwin Andrew Jackson 01831-04-14 April 14, 1831[5] 01859-01-04 January 4, 1859 – resignation
Winthrop Welles Ketcham Ulysses S. Grant 01876-06-26 June 26, 1876 01879-12-06 December 6, 1879 – death
William W. Knox Richard Nixon 01970-10-14 October 14, 1970 01981-08-30 August 30, 1981 – death
Donald J. Lee George H. W. Bush 01990-03-12 March 12, 1990 02006-04-06 April 6, 2006 – death
Timothy K. Lewis George H. W. Bush 01991-06-18 June 18, 1991 01992-10-23 October 23, 1992 – reappointment
Carol Los Mansmann Ronald Reagan 01982-03-19 March 19, 1982 01985-04-22 April 22, 1985 – reappointment
Rabe Ferguson Marsh, Jr. Harry S. Truman 01950-06-08 June 8, 1950 01977-01-31 January 31, 1977 01993-04-19 April 19, 1993 death
Wilson McCandless James Buchanan 01859-02-08 February 8, 1859 01876-07-24 July 24, 1876 – retirement
Barron Patterson McCune Richard Nixon 01970-12-18 December 18, 1970 01985-04-01 April 1, 1985 02008-09-10 September 10, 2008 death
John Wilson McIlvaine Dwight D. Eisenhower 01955-08-01 August 1, 1955 01963-07-01 July 1, 1963 – death
Nelson McVicar Calvin Coolidge 01928-09-14 September 14, 1928[6] 01951-02-01 February 1, 1951 01960-12-20 December 20, 1960 death
Glenn Everell Mencer Ronald Reagan 01982-03-19 March 19, 1982 01994-04-18 April 18, 1994 02007-04-17 April 17, 2007 death
John Lester Miller Dwight D. Eisenhower 01954-05-20 May 20, 1954 01971-10-01 October 1, 1971 01978-07-20 July 20, 1978 death
Charles Prentiss Orr William Howard Taft 01909-04-08 April 8, 1909 01922-05-16 May 16, 1922 – death
James Hay Reed Benjamin Harrison 01891-02-20 February 20, 1891 01892-01-15 January 15, 1892 – resignation
Louis Rosenberg John F. Kennedy 01961-11-20 November 20, 1961[7] 01976-01-05 January 5, 1976 01999-07-02 July 2, 1999 death
Ralph Francis Scalera Richard Nixon 01971-11-30 November 30, 1971 01976-05-01 May 1, 1976 – resignation
Frederic Palen Schoonmaker Warren G. Harding 01922-12-22 December 22, 1922 01945-09-05 September 5, 1945 – death
D. Brooks Smith Ronald Reagan 01988-10-17 October 17, 1988 02002-09-23 September 23, 2002 – reappointment
Daniel John Snyder, Jr. Richard Nixon 01973-04-17 April 17, 1973 01980-05-11 May 11, 1980 – death
Herbert Peter Sorg Dwight D. Eisenhower 01955-08-01 August 1, 1955 01976-12-20 December 20, 1976 01979-03-11 March 11, 1979 death
William Alvah Stewart Harry S. Truman 01951-04-25 April 25, 1951 01953-04-09 April 9, 1953 – death
Hubert Irving Teitelbaum Richard Nixon 01970-12-12 December 12, 1970 01985-07-02 July 2, 1985 01995-01-05 January 5, 1995 death
W. H. Seward Thomson Woodrow Wilson 01914-07-21 July 21, 1914 01928-02-21 February 21, 1928 01932-11-29 November 29, 1932 death
Jonathan Hoge Walker James Monroe 01818-04-20 April 20, 1818 01824-03-23 March 23, 1824 – death
Gerald Joseph Weber Lyndon B. Johnson 01964-09-15 September 15, 1964 01988-12-31 December 31, 1988 01989-08-28 August 28, 1989 death
Joseph Francis Weis Jr. Richard Nixon 01970-04-24 April 24, 1970 01973-03-27 March 27, 1973 – reappointment
William Wilkins James Monroe 01824-05-12 May 12, 1824 01831-04-14 April 14, 1831 – resignation
Joseph Putnam Willson Dwight D. Eisenhower 01953-07-14 July 14, 1953 01968-10-18 October 18, 1968 01998-08-03 August 3, 1998 death
James Scott Young Theodore Roosevelt 01908-01-22 January 22, 1908 01914-02-25 February 25, 1914 – death
Donald Emil Ziegler Jimmy Carter 01978-05-02 May 2, 1978 02001-10-01 October 1, 2001 02003-05-31 May 31, 2003 retirement

United States Attorneys

[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 388.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. District Courts of Pennsylvania, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 5, 1950, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 8, 1950, and received commission on March 9, 1950.
  4. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 3, 1906, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 11, 1906, and received commission on December 11, 1906.
  5. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 7, 1831, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 21, 1832, and received commission on March 21, 1832.
  6. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 6, 1928, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1928, and received commission on December 17, 1928.
  7. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on July 10, 1962, and received commission on July 12, 1962.

External links