United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
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Vacancy warning level
The current vacancy warning level for the Third Circuit is set at green. All of the current posts are filled with active judges.
Jurisdiction
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court for the following United States federal judicial districts:
- District of Delaware
- District of New Jersey
- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Middle District of Pennsylvania
- Western District of Pennsylvania
It also has appellate jurisdiction over the United States District Court for the U.S. Virgin Islands which, in spite of the name, is a territorial court and belongs to no federal judicial district.
The court is based in Philadelphia.
Cases heard
The Third Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
Case load
| Federal Court Case Load Statistics* |
|---|
| Year | Starting case load: | Cases filed: | Total cases: | Cases terminated: | Remaining cases | Terminations on merits: | Terminations on Procedure | Cross Appeals: | Total Terminations: | Written decisions per Judge** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3400 | 3951 | 7351 | 4235 | 3116 | 2483 | 1684 | 68 | 4235 | 153 |
| 2009 | 3771 | 3750 | 7521 | 3997 | 3524 | 2333 | 1635 | 29 | 3997 | 143 |
| 2008 | 3699 | 4054 | 7753 | 3990 | 3763 | 2300 | 1652 | 38 | 3990 | 149 |
| 2007 | 3837 | 3924 | 7761 | 4066 | 3695 | 2251 | 1770 | 45 | 4066 | 136 |
| 2006 | 3480 | 4503 | 7983 | 4157 | 3826 | 2305 | 1825 | 27 | 4157 | 152 |
| *All statistics are taken from the Official Federal Courts' Website (for District Courts) and reflect the calendar year through September. **This statistic reflects only judges that are active for the entire 12 month period. |
Clerk's office
The official Clerk is Marcia M. Waldron. The Clerk's Office is open for filing Monday-Friday from 9am to 4pm, excluding federal holidays. The contact information for the office is as follows:
OFFICE OF THE CLERK
21400 U.S. COURTHOUSE
601 MARKET STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106
ecf_helpdesk@ca3.uscourts.gov
Phone: 267-299-4970
Records room: 215-597-2995
History
Court history
The Third Circuit was established by the United States Congress in 1981 through the same statute that established the first nine appeals circuits. Over the years, twelve additional seats were added to the court resulting in a total of fourteen seats.[1]
Judicial posts
The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Third Circuit:
| Year | Statute | Total Seats |
| March 3, 1891 | 26 Stat. 826 | 2 |
| February 23, 1899 | 30 Stat. 846 | 3 |
| June 10, 1930 | 46 Stat. 538 | 4 |
| June 24, 1936 | 49 Stat. 1903 | 5 |
| December 7, 1944 | 58 Stat. 796 | 6 |
| August 3, 1949 | 63 Stat. 493 | 7 |
| May 19, 1961 | 75 Stat. 80 | 8 |
| June 18, 1968 | 82 Stat. 184 | 9 |
| October 20, 1978 | 92 Stat. 1629 | 10 |
| July 10, 1984 | 98 Stat. 333 | 12 |
| December 1, 1990 | 104 Stat. 5089 | 14 |
Notable cases
This page is missing notable case information.
For a search-able list of decisions from the Third Circuit, please see: Third Circuit Searchable Opinions
Federal courthouse
The Third Circuit shares the James A. Byrne Federal Courthouse with the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
See also
External links
- Official Website of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals
- List of Third Circuit Judges
- Opinions of the Third Circuit
- FoxNews.com, "Second court invalidates Obama appointments to labor board," May 16, 2013
References
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| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Courts |
| 2 Judges |
| 2.1 Number of allowed judges |
| 2.2 Active judges |
| 2.2.1 Article III judges |
| 2.2.2 Pending appointments |
| 2.2.3 Senior judges |
| 2.3 Past judges |
| 2.3.1 Former chief judges |
| 2.3.2 Former judges |
Number of allowed judges
Active judges
Article III judges
See: Article III federal judgeThe United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has 14 posts and 0 vacancies. The current Chief Justice is Theodore McKee. This is a list of the current judges on the court:
| Judge | Born | Home | Appointed by | Active | Chief | Preceeded | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judge Joseph Greenaway | England | Obama | 2/9/2010 - Present | Samuel Alito | Columbia '78 | Harvard Law '81 | ||
| Judge Patty Shwartz | 1961 | Paterson, NJ | Obama | 4/9/2013 - Present | Maryanne Barry | Rutgers College, B.A., 1983 | U. of Pennsylvania Law, J.D., 1986 | |
| Judge Thomas Vanaskie | 1953 | Shamokin, PA | Obama | 4/21/2010 - Present | Franklin Van Antwerpen | Lycoming College '75 | Dickinson School of Law '78 | |
| Judge Anthony Scirica | 1940 | Norristown, PA | Reagan | 8/6/1987 - Present | 2003-2010 | Ruggero Aldisert | Wesleyan U. '62 | U. of Michigan Law '65 |
| Judge Dolores Sloviter | 1932 | Philadelphia, PA | Carter | 6/21/1979 - Present | 1991-1998 | Walter Stapleton | Temple U. '53 | U. Pennsylvania Law '56 |
| Chief Judge Theodore McKee | 1947 | Clinton | 6/9/1994 - Present | 2010 - Present | Leon Higginbotham, Jr. | SUNY Cortland '69 | Syracuse Law '75 | |
| Judge Marjorie Rendell | 1947 | Wilmington, DE | Clinton | 9/29/1997 - Present | William Hutchinson | U. of Pennsylvania '69 | Villanova U. '73 | |
| Judge Thomas Ambro | 1949 | Cambridge, OH | Clinton | 2/16/2000 - Present | Walter Stapleton | Georgetown '71 | Georgetown Law '75 | |
| Judge Julio Fuentes | 1946 | Humacao, PR | Clinton | 3/9/2000 - Present | Robert Cowen | Southern Illinois U. '71 | SUNY Buffalo Law '75 | |
| Judge Brooks Smith | 1951 | Altoona, PA | W. Bush | 8/2/2002 - Present | Timothy Lewis | Franklin and Marshall College '73 | Dickinson School of Law '76 | |
| Judge Michael Fisher | 1944 | Pittsburgh, PA | W. Bush | 12/11/2003 - Present | Carol Mansmann | Georgetown '66 | Georgetown Law '69 | |
| Judge Michael Chagares | 1962 | W. Bush | 4/20/2006 - Present | Michael Chertoff | Gettysburg College '84 | Seton Hall Law '87 | ||
| Judge Kent Jordan | 1957 | West Point, NY | W. Bush | 12/13/2006 - Present | Jane Roth | Brigham Young U. '81 | Georgetown Law '84 | |
| Judge Thomas Hardiman | 1965 | Winchester, MA | W. Bush | 4/2/2007 - Present | Richard Nygaard | Notre Dame '87 | Georgetown Law '90 |
Pending appointments
There are no current pending appointments for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Senior judges
See: Federal judges on senior statusThe United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has 10 judges on senior status currently. This is a list of the current senior judges on the court:
| Judge | Appointed by | Active | Chief | Senior | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Judge Leonard Garth | Nixon | 8/6/1973 - 6/30/1986 | 6/30/1986 - Present | Columbia U. '42 | Harvard Law '52 | |
| Senior Judge Joseph Weis | L.B. Johnson | 4/15/1973 - 4/1/1988 | 4/1/1988 - Present | Duquesne U. '47 | U. of Pittsburgh Law '50 | |
| Senior Judge Walter Stapleton | Reagan | 4/4/1985 - 6/2/1999 | 6/2/1999 - Present | Princeton '56 | Harvard Law '59 | |
| Senior Judge Morton Greenberg | Reagan | 3/23/1987 - 6/30/2000 | 6/30/2000 - Present | U. of Pennsylvania '54 | Yale Law '57 | |
| Senior Judge Robert Cowen | Reagan | 11/9/1987 - 9/4/1998 | 9/4/1998 - Present | Drake U. '52 | Rutgers U. Law '58 | |
| Senior Judge Jane Roth | H.W. Bush | 7/2/1991 - 5/31/2006 | 5/31/2006 - Present | Smith College '56 | Harvard Law '65 | |
| Senior Judge Franklin Van Antwerpen | W. Bush | 5/24/2004 - 10/23/2006 | 10/23/2006 - Present | U. of Maine '64 | Temple U. Law '67 | |
| Senior Judge Richard Nygaard | Reagan | 10/17/1988 - 7/9/2005 | 7/9/2005 - Present | U. of Southern California '69 | U. of Michigan Law '71 | |
| Senior Judge Ruggero Aldisert | L.B. Johnson | 7/29/1968 - 12/31/1986 | 1984-1986 | 12/31/1986 - Present | U. of Pittsburgh '41 | U. of Pittsburgh Law '47 |
| Senior judge Maryanne Barry | Clinton | 9/22/1999 - 6/30/2011 | 6/30/2011 - Present | Mount Holyoke College '62 | Hofstra U. Law '74 |
Past judges
Former chief judges
| Judge | Term |
|---|---|
| Austin Staley | 1966-1967 |
| Collins Seitz | 1971-1984 |
| William Hastie | 1968-1971 |
| John Gibbons | 1987-1990 |
| Aloysius Higginbotham | 1990 - 1991 |
| Edward Becker | 1998-2003 |
| John Biggs | 1948-1965 |
| Harry Kalodner | 1965-1966 |
| Dolores Sloviter | 1991-1998 |
| Ruggero Aldisert | 1984-1986 |
| Anthony Scirica | 2003-2010 |
In order to qualify for the office of Chief Judge in one of the federal courts, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as Chief Judge. A vacancy in the office of Chief Judge is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The Chief Judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position. Unlike the Chief Justice of the United States, a Chief Judge returns to active service after the expiration of his or her term and does not create a vacancy on the bench by the fact of his or her promotion. See 28 U.S.C. § 45.
These rules for Chief Judges in the federal judiciary have been in effect since October 1, 1982. The office of Chief Judge was created in 1948. Until August 6, 1959, the position was filled in each federal court by the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire on what has since 1958 been known as senior status or declined to serve as Chief Judge. From then until 1982 it was filled by the senior such judge who had not turned 70.
Former judges
- Samuel Alito
- Marcus Wilson Acheson
- Joseph Buffington
- George Mifflin Dallas
- Timothy Lewis
- Lee Sarokin
- James Hunter
- James Rosen
- Michael Chertoff
- Robert Wodrow Archbald
- George Gray
- John Bayard McPherson
- William Mershon Lanning
- Joseph Whitaker Thompson
- John Warren Davis
- Thomas Griffith Haight
- Victor Baynard Woolley
- William Clark
- Harry Kalodner
- Phillip Forman
- Albert Maris
- John Biggs
- Francis Biddle
- William Francis Smith
- Edward Becker
- Abraham Freedman
- James Ganey
- Francis Van Dusen
- Aloysius Higginbotham
- Carol Mansmann
- Herbert Goodrich
- Arlin Adams
- John Gibbons
- William Hastie
- William Hutchinson
- Charles Alvin Jones
- Gerald McLaughlin
- John O'Connell
- Max Rosenn
- Collins Seitz
- David Stahl
- Austin Staley
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