Marjorie "Midge" Rendell ( ''née'' Osterlund; born February 13, 1947) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a Senior United States circuit judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * East ...

and a former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 2003, she was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Pennsylvania's Most Politically Powerful Women".

Early life and education

Rendell was born in Wilmington,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

. Her father was employed as a

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

executive and she attended Ursuline Academy. She received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree, ''cum laude'', from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

in 1969 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 l ...

from

Villanova University School of Law Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law (known as Villanova University School of Law) is a law school of the Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1953, the School of Law is approved by the American Bar Associa ...

in 1973.

Career

Private practice

After graduating from law school, she practiced as an attorney for 20 years as a partner at the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

firm of Duane, Morris & Heckscher, where she focused her practice on bankruptcy and commercial litigation. She also served as a mediator for the United States District Court.
"Biography of Hon. Marjorie O. Rendell," Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, last accessed Oct. 31, 2010 While in private practice, Rendell experienced sexism originating from both her clients and cohorts. At times, she was called "honey" by her male colleagues and would hide or downplay the existence of her then young son.

Federal judicial service

Rendell was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

on November 19, 1993, to a seat on the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania 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 Phil ...

vacated by Judge Louis Bechtle. She was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

on February 10, 1994, and received commission on February 11, 1994. Her service terminated on November 20, 1997, due to elevation to the Third Circuit. Rendell was nominated by President Clinton on January 7, 1997, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge William D. Hutchinson. She was confirmed by the Senate on September 26, 1997, and received commission on September 29, 1997. She assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on July 1, 2015.

Notable case

In 2008, Rendell served as a part of a three-judge panel that overturned the Federal Communications Commission's indecency fine against CBS related to the

Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy The Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004, from Houston, Texas, on the CBS television network, is notable for a moment in which Janet Jackson's breast—adorned with a nipple shield—was expo ...

Philanthropy

In 1993, Rendell founded and managed Avenue of the Arts, Inc., whose purpose was to develop Philadelphia's Broad Street into a world-class artistic venue. She currently serves as one of the members of the board of directors. She is also a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.

Family

She married

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philad ...

, a future

Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, in 1971. On January 21, 2003, Judge Rendell administered the oath of office to her husband after he won the gubernatorial election in November 2002. During her husband's campaigns for mayor and governor, Rendell was barred by the federal judicial ethics code from publicly campaigning on his behalf, as well as from taking part in some fundraisers. On February 7, 2011, a joint email from the couple announced that they had amicably separated. They have one adult son, Jesse. On September 6, 2016, Ed Rendell announced the couple had filed for amicable divorce. In September 2017, Judge Rendell married Arthur Tilson, a senior judge on the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rendell, Midge 1947 births First Ladies and Gentlemen of Pennsylvania Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Living people Pennsylvania lawyers People from Wilmington, Delaware University of Pennsylvania alumni United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton Villanova University School of Law alumni 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges