Joseph Francis Weis Jr. (March 12, 1923 – March 19, 2014) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Education and career

Born March 12, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Weis received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947 from Duquesne University 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 ...

in 1950 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He served in the United States Army as a Captain from 1943 to 1948. He was in private practice in Pittsburgh from 1950 to 1968. He was a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas 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 ...

, Pennsylvania from 1968 to 1970.

Federal judicial service

Weis was nominated by President Richard Nixon on March 11, 1970, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania vacated by Judge Joseph Putnam Willson. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 23, 1970, and received his commission on April 24, 1970. His service terminated on March 27, 1973, due to elevation to the Third Circuit. Weis was nominated by President Nixon on February 13, 1973, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated by Judge Abraham Lincoln Freedman. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 14, 1973, and received his commission on March 15, 1973. He assumed senior status on April 1, 1988. His service terminated on March 19, 2014, due to his death. Concurrent with his federal judicial service, Weis was an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law starting in 1986.

Death

Weis died at

Fox Chapel Fox Chapel is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, and is an affluent suburb of Pittsburgh located northeast of downtown. The borough continually garners national prominence and is home to many of the wealthiest and most powerful p ...

, Pennsylvania on March 19, 2014, and was buried alongside his wife Margaret at Arlington National Cemetery on September 12, 2014.

Awards and achievements

Bronze Star for Valor; Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster; Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award; History Makers Award, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania; Award for Judicial Leadership and Excellence; Legion of Honour, President of the French Republic. In 2015 the United States Courthouse on Grant Street in Weis's hometown of Pittsburgh was renamed in his honor after the passage of federal legislation and the signature of President Barack Obama. The building, named the Joseph F. Weis Jr. United States Courthouse, serves the Western Pennsylvania District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

References

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weis, Joseph F. Jr. 1923 births 2014 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Lawyers from Pittsburgh Duquesne University alumni University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania United States Army officers United States court of appeals judges appointed by Richard Nixon 20th-century American judges United States district court judges appointed by Richard Nixon