(2007-1256-F) United States District Court

The materials in FOIA 2007-1256-F are a select body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. The records in this FOIA request relate to the nomination process of the following United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania judges: Marjorie Rendell, Bruce Kauffman, Petrese Tucker, Mary McLaughlin, Berle Schiller, and Richard Surrick. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. The Court’s jurisdiction includes Philadelphia, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, and North Hampton counties. The district is part of the Third Circuit. Marjorie “Midge” Rendell is a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Rendell received a bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from Vanderbilt School of Law in 1973. She practiced as an attorney for 20 years at the firm of Duane, Morris & Heckscher in Philadelphia. Her focus was on bankruptcy and commercial litigation. In 1994, President Clinton nominated and the senate confirmed Rendell for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 1997, Rendell was nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Bruce Kauffman is retired judge from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Kauffman received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1956 and an LL.B. from Yale Law school. Kauffman was an attorney in private practice and served as a Justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In 1997, President Clinton nominated Kauffman to seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He was confirmed by the Senate and served until he took senior status in 2008, and retired in 2009. Petrese Tucker is federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Tucker received a B.A. from Temple University in 1973 and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1976. Prior to serving as a judge on the Eastern District, Tucker was an assistant district attorney of Philadelphia District Attorney Office, a senior trial attorney of Southeastern Transportation Authority Legal Department, and a judge on the Court of Common Pleas for Pennsylvania. President Clinton nominated her to the Eastern District in 1999 and she was confirmed by the Senate in 2000. Mary McLaughlin is a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. McLaughlin received a B.A from Gwynedd-Mercy College in 1968, an M.A. from Bryn Mawr College in 1969, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1976. McLaughlin served as an assistant U.S. Attorney, an Associate professor at Vanderbilt School of Law, and as a partner at Dechert, LLP. President Clinton nominated McLaughlin and the Senate confirmed her to a seat on the Eastern District in 2000. Berle Schiller is a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Schiller received BA from Bowdoin College in 1965 and J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1968. He served in private practice, as the chief counsel to the Federal Transit Administration, and as an appellate judge on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. President Clinton nominated Schiller and Senate confirmed him to a seat on the Eastern District in 2000. Richard Surrick is a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Surrick received a B.A. from Dickinson College in 1960, a J.D. from Dickinson College in 1965, and an LL.M. from University of Virginia School of Law in 1982. Surrick served in private practice, as a chief of the appellate division in the Office of Public Defender of Delaware County, PA and as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware Couty. President Clinton nominated Surrick to the Eastern District and he was confirmed by the Senate in 2000. The records responsive to this FOIA include vetting materials for each candidate, American Bar Association (ABA) questionnaires, writing samples, and news clippings.