Karen Spencer Marston
Appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019 and confirmed by the Senate 87–6, Karen Spencer Marston is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She earned a law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1998. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1968 · age 58
- Appointed by
- Donald J. Trump, 2019
- Confirmed
- 87–6
- Education
- Davidson College 1990 · Wake Forest Law 1998
- Succeeded
- Legrome D. Davis
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Eastern District of Pennsylvania succeeded Legrome D. Davis | Trump (R) | 87–6 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 87–6 on December 19, 2019 · 116th Congress, Roll Call 417. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 87
35 D, 51 R, 1 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Bill Cassidy(R-LA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Catherine Cortez Masto(D-NV)
- Tom Cotton(R-AR)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Tammy Duckworth(D-IL)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Mike Enzi(R-WY)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Cory Gardner(R-CO)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Charles Grassley(R-IA)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Josh Hawley(R-MO)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith(R-MS)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Doug Jones(D-AL)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- John Kennedy(R-LA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- James Lankford(R-OK)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Joseph Manchin(D-WV)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Martha McSally(R-AZ)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- David Perdue(R-GA)
- Gary Peters(D-MI)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Mitt Romney(R-UT)
- Jacklyn Rosen(D-NV)
- Mike Rounds(R-SD)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Ben Sasse(R-NE)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Kyrsten Sinema(D-AZ)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
- Patrick Toomey(R-PA)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Voted against · 6
6 D
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 7
4 D, 2 R, 1 I
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Kamala Harris(D-CA)
- John Isakson(R-GA)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
Education
| Davidson College | B.A. | 1990 |
| Salem College | M.A.T. | 1994 |
| Wake Forest University School of Law | J.D. | 1998 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Private practice, Charlotte, North Carolina | 1998-2000 |
| Assistant U.S. attorney, Criminal Division, Western District of North Carolina | 2000-2006 |
| Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2006-2019; Criminal Division, 2006-2018; chief, Narcotics and Organized Crime | 2018-2019 |
| Adjunct professor, Temple University Beasley School of Law | 2013, 2016 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Karen Spencer Marston?
- President Donald J. Trump appointed Karen Spencer Marston to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2019.
- Was Karen Spencer Marston appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Karen Spencer Marston was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Karen Spencer Marston's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Karen Spencer Marston 87–6 on December 19, 2019.
- Which court is Karen Spencer Marston on?
- Karen Spencer Marston 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, 2019)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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6 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).