Joseph F. Leeson Jr.
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 and confirmed by the Senate 76–16, Joseph F. Leeson Jr. is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He earned a law degree from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 1980. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1955 · age 71
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2014
- Confirmed
- 76–16
- Education
- DeSales 1977 · Catholic of America, Columbus Law 1980
- Succeeded
- Eduardo C. Robreno
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Eastern District of Pennsylvania succeeded Eduardo C. Robreno | Obama (D) | 76–16 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 76–16 on December 4, 2014 · 113th Congress, Roll Call 312. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 76
34 D, 41 R, 1 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Joe Donnelly(D-IN)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Jeff Flake(R-AZ)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Heidi Heitkamp(D-ND)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Timothy Scott(R-SC)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
- John Walsh(D-MT)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
Voted against · 16
15 D, 1 I
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bernie Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 8
4 D, 4 R
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
Education
| DeSales University | B.A. | 1977 |
| Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law | J.D. | 1980 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Leeson was assigned 2,000 district-court cases (1990–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 182 days across 1,677 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 91 of Leeson’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 75 were affirmed, 11 reversed or vacated, and 5 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Joseph F. Leeson Jr.?
- President Barack Obama appointed Joseph F. Leeson Jr. to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2014.
- Was Joseph F. Leeson Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Joseph F. Leeson Jr. was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Joseph F. Leeson Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Joseph F. Leeson Jr. 76–16 on December 4, 2014.
- Which court is Joseph F. Leeson Jr. on?
- Joseph F. Leeson Jr. is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2014)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
11 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).