The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, W.D. Pa.) is a federal trial court that sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. 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 The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is a United States court of appeals that has special appellate jurisdiction over certain types of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court ...

History

The

United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

was one of the original 13 courts established by the

Judiciary Act of 1789 The Judiciary Act of 1789 (ch. 20, ) was a United States federal statute enacted on September 24, 1789, during the first session of the First United States Congress. It established the federal judiciary of the United States. Article III, Secti ...

, , on September 24, 1789.Asbury Dickens, ''A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America'' (1852), p. 388.U.S. District Courts of Pennsylvania, Legislative history
''

Federal Judicial Center The Federal Judicial Center is the education and research agency of the United States federal courts. It was established by in 1967, at the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States. According to , the main areas of respo ...

''. It was subdivided on April 20, 1818, by , into the Eastern and Western Districts to be headquartered in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, respectively. The court began its first session on December 7, 1818 at the

Old County Courthouse The Old County Courthouse (also known as the Plymouth Old County Courthouse or the Old Town House) is an historic court house on Leyden Street and Market Street in the Town Square of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Built in 1749, the two-story wood-fra ...

in Pittsburgh. Portions of these districts were subsequently subdivided into the

Middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek (d ...

District on March 2, 1901, by 31 Stat. 880. 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 Jonathan Hoge Walker (July 20, 1754 – March 23, 1824) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born on July 20, 1754, near Hogestown, Silver Spring ...

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.

Territory of jurisdiction

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 ...

* Armstrong County * Beaver County * Bedford County *

Blair County Blair County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 122,822. Its county seat is Hollidaysburg. The county was created on February 26, 1846, from parts of Huntingdon and Bedford counties. Blai ...

* Butler County * Cambria County *

Clarion County Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Cou ...

Clearfield County Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822. C ...

* Crawford County * Elk County * Erie County * Fayette County * Forest County * Greene County *

Indiana County Indiana County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the west central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,246. Its county seat is Indiana. Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Mi ...

* Jefferson County * Lawrence County *

McKean County McKean County is a rural county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,432. Its county seat is Smethport. The county was created in 1804 and organized in 1826. It was named in honor of former Pennsylv ...

* Mercer County * Somerset County *

Venango County Venango County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,454. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1805. Venango County comprises the Oil City, ...

* Warren County * Washington County * Westmoreland County

Current judges

Former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

United States Attorneys

Former United States Attorneys for the district have included: *James Hamilton March 11, 1801 * Andrew Stewart April 20, 1818 *

Alexander Brackenridge Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

March 3, 1821 *

George W. Buchanan George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

October 22, 1830 * Benjamin Patton, Jr. October 22, 1832 * John P. Anderson June 12, 1839 *

Cornelius Darragh Cornelius Darragh (1809December 22, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Whig Party (United States), Whig member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, a U. S. District Attorney, a member of the U.S. House of ...

March 25, 1841 * William O'Hara Robinson March 29, 1844 *

John L. Dawson John Littleton Dawson (February7, 1813September18, 1870) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Early life and education Dawson was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Brownsville, Pennsylv ...

July 22, 1845 *

J. Bowman Sweitzer ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

August 27, 1850 * Charles Shaler April 19, 1853 *

Richard Biddle Roberts Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

April 21, 1857 * Robert B. Carnahan April 12, 1861 *

Henry B. Swope Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

January 24, 1870 *

David Reed David Reed may refer to: Entertainment * David Vern Reed (1924–1989), American comics writer * David E. Reed (1927–1990), ''Reader's Digest'' editor * David Reed (artist) (born 1946), American artist * David Jay Reed (born 1950), artist * Da ...

March 24, 1874 *

Henry H. McCormick Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

June 29, 1876 *

William A. Stone William Alexis Stone (April 18, 1846March 1, 1920) was an American politician who served as the 22nd governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 1899 to 1903. Early life and family Stone was born in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. He was descended fro ...

July 6, 1880 * George A. Allen December 4, 1886 * Walter Lyon June 21, 1889 * Stephen C. McCandless April 26, 1893 *

Harry Alvan Hall Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

June 8, 1893 * B. Heiner September 14, 1897 *

James S. Young James Scott Young (December 3, 1848 – February 25, 1914) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Young received an ...

February 10, 1902 * John W. Dunkle March 17, 1905 *

John H. Jordan John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

April 15, 1909 *

Edwin Lowry Humes The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (died ...

September 10, 1913 *

R. Lindsay Crawford R. or r. may refer to: * ''Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler. * '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King * ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen * or , abbreviat ...

September 2, 1918 *

August 20, 1919 * Robert J. Dodds June 1, 1920 *

D. J. Driscoll Daniel Joseph Driscoll (June 11, 1876 – January 2, 1942) was a Canadian politician and a municipal councillor in Edmonton, Alberta. Early life Driscoll was born on June 11, 1876, in Arthur, Ontario to Daniel Driscoll and Bridget Roach, a ...

August 19, 1920 * Walter Lyon March 11, 1921 * John D. Meyer July 18, 1925 *

Louis Edward Graham Louis Edward Graham (August 4, 1880 – November 9, 1965) was an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography Louis E. Graham was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and move ...

October 31, 1929 *

Horatio S. Dumbauld Horatio is an English male given name, an Italianized form of the ancient Roman Latin '' nomen'' (name) '' Horatius'', from the Roman '' gens'' (clan) '' Horatia''. The modern Italian form is ''Orazio'', the modern Spanish form ''Horacio''. It app ...

August 17, 1933 *

Charles F. Uhl Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

May 12, 1941 *

Owen McIntosh Burns Owen McIntosh Burns (September 6, 1892 – October 26, 1952) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born in Danville, Illinois, Burns received an ...

May 16, 1947 *

Edward C. Boyle Edward Carol Boyle (December 24, 1904 – June 29, 1981) was the Allegheny County District Attorney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from January 3, 1956, until January 6, 1964. Mr. Boyle attended Duquesne University School of Law Class of 1928. He w ...

November 3, 1949 *

John W. McIlvaine John Wilson McIlvaine (June 22, 1907 – July 1, 1963) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, McIlvaine received a ...

July 16, 1953 *

D. Malcolm Anderson, Jr. D. or d. may refer to, usually as an abbreviation: * Don (honorific), a form of address in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and their former overseas empires, usually given to nobles or other individuals of high social rank. * Date of death, as an abbreviati ...

August 19, 1955 * Hubert I. Teitelbaum March 17, 1958 *

Joseph S. Ammerman Joseph Scofield Ammerman (July 14, 1924 – October 14, 1993) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania for one term from 1977 to 1979. Early life Josep ...

June 5, 1961 *

Gustave Diamond Gustave Diamond (January 29, 1928 – October 30, 2021) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Diamond died on October 30, 2021, at his home in McMurray, Pennsylvania, a ...

February 2, 1963 *

Richard L. Thornburgh Richard Lewis Thornburgh (July 16, 1932 – December 31, 2020) was an American lawyer, author, and United States Republican Party, Republican politician who served as the List of governors of Pennsylvania, 41st governor of Pennsylvania fro ...

June 4, 1969 *

Blair A. Griffith Blair is an English-language name of Scottish Gaelic origin. The surname is derived from any of the numerous places in Scotland called ''Blair'', derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''blàr'', meaning "plain", "meadow" or "field", frequently a “ ...

July 7, 1975 *

Robert J. Cindrich Robert James Cindrich (born September 22, 1943) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and a former federal judicial nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for ...

September 29, 1978 *

J. Alan Johnson ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

July 31, 1981 *

Charles D. Sheehy Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

January 15, 1989 * Thomas W. Corbett November 30, 1989 * Frederick W. Thieman August 16, 1993 *

Linda L. Kelly Linda Lee Kelly (born May 20, 1949) is an American attorney. In 2011, she was appointed Attorney General of Pennsylvania. Kelly served in the position until Kathleen Kane, her elected successor, took office in 2013. Education Kelly is a gradu ...

August 1, 1997 *

Harry Litman Harry P. Litman (born c. 1958) is an American lawyer, law professor and political commentator. He is a former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General. He has provided commentary in print and broadcast news and produces the Talking Fe ...

October 22, 1998 *

April 28, 2001 * Mary Beth Buchanan – September 18, 2001 * Robert S. Cessar – November 17, 2009 *

David J. Hickton David J. Hickton (born August 14, 1955) is the director and founder of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security. Prior to that, he was the 57th U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He resigned ...

– August 12, 2010 * Soo C. Song (Acting) – November 29, 2016 * Scott Brady – December 22, 2017 * Cindy Chung – November 2021

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania 1818 establishments in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, Western District Pennsylvania law Erie, Pennsylvania Johnstown, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Courthouses in Pennsylvania Courts and tribunals established in 1818