Gary L. Lancaster (August 14, 1949 – April 24, 2013) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Early years

Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, Lancaster received a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education from Slippery Rock State College in 1971 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1974.

Early career

From 1974 to 1978, Lancaster served as Regional Counsel to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission as well as an Assistant District Attorney in

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...

. He entered private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1978, where he focused mostly on criminal litigation.

Federal judicial service

United States magistrate judge service

In 1987, Lancaster was selected to serve as a United States magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

United States district court service

He was nominated to be a district judge by President Bill Clinton on October 25, 1993, to the seat vacated by

Timothy K. Lewis Timothy Kimbrue Lewis (born November 2, 1954, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and is currently an attorney at the law fi ...

, who had been elevated to a newly created seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Lancaster was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 20, 1993, and received his commission the following day. While on the bench, Lancaster served on the committee responsible for drafting the Third Circuit's Model Civil Jury Instructions, and was also appointed by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist to serve on the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

Committee on Judicial Resources. He was also responsible for overseeing the renovation of the district's historic

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

-era federal courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh. In 2009, Lancaster became the first African-American to serve as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, succeeding Donetta Ambrose. During his tenure as Chief Judge, Lancaster was instrumental in the court's involvement in the Patent Pilot Program, a national initiative designed to enhance the expertise of federal judges in patent litigation. As of 2013, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania remains one of the few judicial districts in the country to have Local Patent Rules.

Death

Lancaster died suddenly on April 24, 2013 at his home in Pittsburgh. He was still on the bench and was expected to serve on active status through at least 2014. In announcing his death, the ''

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Although it transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, it rem ...

'' heralded him as a judge known for "being able to handle any case." He was succeeded as Chief Judge by Sean J. McLaughlin.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster, Gary L. 1949 births 2013 deaths African-American judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni People from Brownsville, Pennsylvania United States magistrate judges 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges