U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Third Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Yvette Kane | Clinton (D) | 1998 |
| Robert David Mariani | Obama (D) | 2011 |
| Matthew William Brann | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Malachy Edward Mannion | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Jennifer Philpott Wilson | Trump (R) | 2019 |
| Julia Kathleen Munley | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Karoline Mehalchick | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| Joseph Francis Saporito Jr. | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| Keli Marie Neary | Biden (D) | 2025 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher C. Conner | Bush (R) | 2002–2025 |
| John E. Jones III | Bush (R) | 2002–2021 |
| James Martin Munley | Clinton (D) | 1998–2020 |
| A. Richard Caputo | Clinton (D) | 1997–2020 |
| Thomas Ignatius Vanaskie | Clinton (D) | 1994–2010 |
| James Focht McClure Jr. | Bush (R) | 1990–2010 |
| Edwin Michael Kosik | Reagan (R) | 1986–2019 |
| William W. Caldwell | Reagan (R) | 1982–2019 |
| Richard Paul Conaboy | Carter (D) | 1979–2018 |
| Sylvia H. Rambo | Carter (D) | 1979–2024 |
| Malcolm Muir | Nixon (R) | 1970–2011 |
| Robert Dixon Herman | Nixon (R) | 1969–1990 |
| William Joseph Nealon Jr. | Kennedy (D) | 1963–2018 |
| Michael Henry Sheridan | Kennedy (D) | 1961–1976 |
| Frederick Voris Follmer | Truman (D) | 1946–1971 |
| John William Murphy | Truman (D) | 1946–1962 |
| Albert Leisenring Watson | Hoover (R) | 1929–1960 |
| Albert Williams Johnson | Coolidge (R) | 1925–1945 |
| Charles B. Witmer | Taft (R) | 1911–1925 |
| Robert Wodrow Archbald | McKinley (R) | 1901–1911 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1901.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.