| Court Type: | district |
| Court Name: | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania |
| Abbreviation: | E.D. Pa. |
| Seal: | Seal of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.png |
| Seal Size: | 150 |
| Map Image Name: | Eastern District of Pennsylvania (map).svg |
| Map Image Width: | 200 |
| Location: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Location1: | Allentown |
| Location2: | Reading |
| Location3: | Easton |
| Appeals To: | Third Circuit |
| Established: | April 20, 1818 |
| Judges Assigned: | 22 |
| Chief: | Mitchell S. Goldberg |
| Us Attorney: | Jacqueline C. Romero |
| Us Marshal: | Eric S. Gartner |
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 Philadelphia as the United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania, and is now located at the James Byrne Courthouse at 601 Market Street in Philadelphia. There are five Eastern District federal courtrooms in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Lancaster, Allentown, Reading, and Easton.
The Court's jurisdiction includes nine counties in eastern Pennsylvania: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties. The district is a part of the Third Circuit, and appeals are taken to that Circuit, except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit.
The chief judge for the Eastern Pennsylvania District Court is Mitchell S. Goldberg.
The people in the district are represented by the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania., the U.S. attorney is Jacqueline C. Romero.[1]
The United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789,, on September 24, 1789.[2] [3] It was subdivided on April 20, 1818, by, into the Eastern and Western Districts to be headquartered in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, respectively. Portions of these districts were subsequently subdivided into the Middle District on March 2, 1901, by . At the time of its initial subdivision, presiding judge Richard Peters Jr. was reassigned to only the Eastern District.
| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Philadelphia | Cynthia M. Rufe | Senior status | December 31, 2021 | Mary Kay Costello | June 13, 2024 |
| 19 | Easton Philadelphia | Edward G. Smith | Death | November 27, 2023 | Catherine Henry | June 4, 2024 |
| 13 | Philadelphia | Gene E. K. Pratter | May 17, 2024 | Gail A. Weilheimer | July 8, 2024 |