United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
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The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, E.D. Pa.) is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. It originally sat in Independence Hall in Philadelphia as the United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania, and is now located at the James Byrne Courthouse at 601 Market Street in Philadelphia. There are four Eastern District federal courtrooms in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading, and Easton.
The Court's jurisdiction includes nine counties in eastern Pennsylvania: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties. The district is a part of the Third Circuit. Appeals are taken to that Circuit, except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit.
The chief judge for the Eastern Pennsylvania District Court is Wendy Beetlestone.
The United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania represents the people in the district. On June 24, 2025, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania appointed David Metcalf as the United States Attorney for the district;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> this came 120 days after Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed Metcalf to serve as interim United States Attorney on March 10, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
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, Template:USStat, on September 24, 1789.<ref name=S388>Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 388.</ref><ref name=fjcpa>U.S. District Courts of Pennsylvania, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.</ref> It was subdivided on April 20, 1818, by Template:USStat,<ref name=S388 /><ref name=fjcpa /> into the Eastern and Western Districts to be headquartered in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, respectively.<ref name=S388 /> Portions of these districts were subsequently subdivided into the Middle District on March 2, 1901, by Template:USStat.<ref name=fjcpa /> At the time of its initial subdivision, presiding judge Richard Peters Jr. was reassigned to only the Eastern District.
Current judges
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Vacancies and pending nominations
| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Philadelphia | Mitchell S. Goldberg | Retirement | September 19, 2025 | Template:Sort | Template:Sort |
Former judges
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Chief judges
Succession of seats
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List of U.S. attorneys
- William Lewis (1789–1791)
- William Rawle (1791–1799)
- Jared Ingersoll (1800–1801)
- Alexander Dallas (1801–1814)
- Charles Jared Ingersoll (1815–1829)
- George M. Dallas (1829–1831)
- Henry D. Gilpin (1831–1837)
- John M. Read (1837–1841)
- William M. Meredith (1841–1842)
- Henry M. Watts (1842–1845)
- Thomas M. Pettit (1845–1849)
- John W. Ashmead (1849–1854)
- James C. Van Dyke (1854–1857)
- George M. Wharton (1857–1860)
- George A. Coffey (1861–1864)
- Charles Gilpin (1864–1868)
- John P. O'Neil (1868–1869)
- Aubrey H. Smith (1869–1873)
- William McMichael (1873–1875)
- John K. Valentine (1875–1888)
- John R. Read (1888–1892)
- Ellery P. Ingham (1892–1896)
- James M. Beck (1896–1900)
- James Buchanan Holland (1900–1904)
- Joseph Whitaker Thompson (1904–1912)
- John C. Smartley (1912–1913)
- Francis F. Kane (1913–1919)
- Charles D. McAvoy (1920–1921)
- George W. Coles (1921–1929)
- Calvin S. Boyer (1929–1930)
- Howard B. Lewis (Acting) (1931)
- Edward W. Wells (1931–1933)
- Charles D. McAvoy (Second Time) (1933–1937)
- Guy K. Bard (Acting) (1937)
- James Cullen Ganey (1937–1940)
- Edward A. Kallick (Acting) (1940)
- Gerald A. Gleeson (1940–1953)
- Joseph G. Hildenberger (Acting) (1953)
- W. Wilson White (1953–1957)
- G. Clinton Fogwell, Jr. (Acting) (1957)
- Harold Kenneth Wood (1957–1959)
- Joseph Leo McGlynn, Jr. (Acting) (1959)
- Walter E. Alessandroni (1959–1961)
- Joseph Simon Lord III (1961)
- Drew J. T. O'Keefe (1961–1969)
- Louis C. Bechtle (1969–1972)
- Carl Joseph Melone (Acting) (1972)
- Robert E. J. Curran (1972–1976)
- Jonas Clayton Undercofler III (Acting) (1976)
- David W. Marston (1976–1978)
- Robert N. DeLuca (Acting) (1978)
- Peter F. Vaira, Jr. (1978–1983)
- Edward S. G. Dennis, Jr. (1983–1988)<ref name="philly">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Michael M. Baylson (1988–1993)<ref name="fjc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Michael J. Rotko (Acting) (1993)
- Michael R. Stiles (1993–2001)<ref name="philly2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Michael L. Levy (Acting) (2001)<ref name="auto1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Pat Meehan (2001–2008)
- Laurie Magid (Acting) (2008–2009)<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Michael L. Levy (Acting, Second Time) (2009–2010)<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/>
- Zane David Memeger (2010–2016)<ref name="lehighvalleylive">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Louis D. Lappen (Acting) (2016–2018)
- William M. McSwain (2018–2021)<ref name="Resignation">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Jennifer Arbittier Williams (Acting) (2021–2022)<ref name="Resignation" />
- Jacqueline C. Romero (2022–2025)
- David Metcalf (2025)
See also
- Courts of Pennsylvania
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in Pennsylvania
Notes
External links
Template:United States 3rd Circuit district judges Template:United States 3rd Circuit senior district judges Template:USDistCourts Template:Authority control
- 1818 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Buildings and structures in Philadelphia
- Government of Philadelphia
- Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Courthouses in Pennsylvania
- Courts and tribunals established in 1818
- Easton, Pennsylvania
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania law
- Reading, Pennsylvania
- United States district courts