From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania Established April 20, 1818
Federal Courthouse , Erie, Pennsylvania
Federal Courthouse , Pittsburgh
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 United States Marshal is Steven Richard Frank. 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 ).
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] The court began its first session on December 7, 1818 at the Old County Courthouse in Pittsburgh. [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.
The Erie courthouse and division was split from Pittsburgh for initial actions in January 1867, with the Johnstown courthouse and division being split from Pittsburgh for initial actions in 1989.[2]
Current judges
Vacancies and pending nominations
Succession of seats
Seat 3
Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on August 19, 1935 by 49 Stat. 659
Schoonmaker
1922–1945
Gourley
1945–1969
Teitelbaum
1970–1985
Lee
1990–2000
Cercone
2002–present
Seat 4
Seat established on July 24, 1946 by 60 Stat. 654 (temporary, concurrent with Middle and Eastern Districts)
Seat made permanent on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8
Follmer
1946–1955
Seat statutorily assigned solely to the Middle District on June 1, 1955
Seat 5
Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on August 29, 1950 by 64 Stat. 562
Burns
1950–1952
Willson
1953–1968
Weis, Jr.
1970–1973
Snyder, Jr.
1973–1980
Mencer
1982–1994
McLaughlin
1994–2013
vacant
2013–present
Seat 7
Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 (temporary)
Seat made permanent on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
Sorg
1955–1976
Bloch
1979–1997
Conti
2002–present
United States Attorneys
[3]
James Hamilton March 11, 1801
Andrew Stewart April 20, 1818
Alexander Brackenridge March 3, 1821
George W. Buchanan October 22, 1830
Benjamin Patton, Jr. October 22, 1832
John P. Anderson June 12, 1839
Cornelius Darragh March 25, 1841
William O'Hara Robinson March 29, 1844
John L. Dawson July 22, 1845
J. Bowman Sweitzer August 27, 1850
Charles Shaler April 19, 1853
Richard Biddle Roberts April 21, 1857
Robert B. Carnahan April 12, 1861
Henry B. Swope January 24, 1870
David Reed March 24, 1874
Henry H. McCormick June 29, 1876
William A. Stone July 6, 1880
George A. Allen December 4, 1886
Walter Lyon June 21, 1889
Stephen C. McCandless April 26, 1893
Harry Alvan Hall June 8, 1893
B. Heiner September 14, 1897
James S. Young February 10, 1902
John W. Dunkle March 17, 1905
John H. Jordan April 15, 1909
Edwin Lowry Humes September 10, 1913
R. Lindsay Crawford September 2, 1918
Edwin Lowry Humes August 20, 1919
Robert J. Dodds June 1, 1920
D. J. Driscoll August 19, 1920
Walter Lyon March 11, 1921
John D. Meyer July 18, 1925
Louis Edward Graham October 31, 1929
Horatio S. Dumbauld August 17, 1933
Charles F. Uhl May 12, 1941
Owen McIntosh Burns May 16, 1947
Edward C. Boyle November 3, 1949
John W. McIlvaine July 16, 1953
D. Malcolm Anderson, Jr. August 19, 1955
Hubert I. Teitelbaum March 17, 1958
Joseph S. Ammerman June 5, 1961
Gustave Diamond February 2, 1963
Richard L. Thornburgh June 4, 1969
Blair A. Griffith July 7, 1975
Robert J. Cindrich September 29, 1978
J. Alan Johnson July 31, 1981
Charles D. Sheehy January 15, 1989
Thomas W. Corbett November 30, 1989
Frederick W. Thieman August 16, 1993[ 8]
Linda L. Kelly August 1, 1997
Harry Litman October 22, 1998
Linda L. Kelly April 28, 2001
Mary Beth Buchanan - September 18, 2001
Robert S. Cessar - November 17, 2009
David J. Hickton - August 12, 2010
See also
Notes
^ a b c Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 388.
^ a b c U.S. District Courts of Pennsylvania, Legislative history , Federal Judicial Center .
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ "Beaver County Times - Google News Archive Search" . news.google.com. Retrieved 2015-12-02 .
External links
Courts of appeals District courts
Alabama (M , N , S )
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas (E , W )
California (C , E , N , S )
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida (M , N , S )
Georgia (M , N , S )
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois (C , N , S )
Indiana (N , S )
Iowa (N , S )
Kansas
Kentucky (E , W )
Louisiana (E , M , W )
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan (E , W )
Minnesota
Mississippi (N , S )
Missouri (E , W )
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York (E , N , S , W )
North Carolina (E , M , W )
North Dakota
Ohio (N , S )
Oklahoma (E , N , W )
Oregon
Pennsylvania (E , M , W )
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee (E , M , W )
Texas (E , N , S , W )
Utah
Vermont
Virginia (E , W )
Washington (E , W )
West Virginia (N , S )
Wisconsin (E , W )
Wyoming
Specialty courts Territorial courts Extinct courts Note