--- title: "Cynthia M. Rufe | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-m-rufe" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Cynthia M. Rufe U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania - State: Pennsylvania - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania, 2002-present - Senior United States district judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, appointed in 2002 and elevated to senior status in 2021, known for her rights‐centered advocacy and principled judicial decisions - Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County Pennsylvania, 1994-2002 - Bucks County Pennsylvania Public Defender's Office, 1977-1982 - After law school, Rufe served in the Bucks County Public Defender’s Office (1977–1982) ### Education - University at Buffalo Law School in — J.D. (1977) - Adelphi University in — B.A. (1970) ### Additional information - On January 23, 2002, President George W. Bush nominated Rufe to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to replace Norma Levy Shapiro, with confirmation by the Senate on April 30, 2002. - Private practice, Pennsylvania, 1982-1993 - Solicitor, Bucks County Pennsylvania Children and Youth Social Services Agency, 1984-1988 - assistant and coordinator, Juvenile Division, 1977-1982 - focusing on the juvenile division, and later as a deputy public defender (1980–1981). - Date of birth: 1948-01-01 - Her career spans public defense, state judicial service, and federal judging, with a focus on accountability to historical truth and procedural clarity - Birth place: Philadelphia, PA ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391516) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391516) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391516) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2803/cynthia-m-rufe/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2803/cynthia-m-rufe/) - [Wikidata: Cynthia M. Rufe](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5200112) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-m-rufe", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-m-rufe", "name": "Cynthia M. Rufe | KnowJudges", "description": "Cynthia M. Rufe, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-m-rufe#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-m-rufe#judge", "name": "Cynthia M. 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Rufe", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cynthia-m-rufe" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 80 | 9 | Not available | 9 | | 2y | 160 | 39 | 2.3 | 39 | | 5y | 462 | 284 | 5.6 | 284 | | 10y | 1584 | 1367 | 7.8 | 1367 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.