--- title: "Edward F. Shea | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edward-f-shea" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Edward F. Shea U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington - State: Washington - 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. Washington, 1998-2012 - Law clerk, Hon. Harold Petrie, Court of Appeals of the State of Washington, Division II, 1970-1971 - Edward Francis Shea is a long‐serving federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington ### Education - Georgetown University Law Center — J.D. (1970) - Boston State College (now University of Massachusetts Boston) – B.S.Ed., 1965 ### Additional information - Served actively from 1998 to 2012; senior judge from 2012 to present. - He assumed senior status on June 7, 2012. - Tsarbopoulos (2001). - received his commission on April 8, 1998. - Private practice attorney, 1971–1998 - Born June 6, 1942, in Malden, Massachusetts. - Date of birth: 1942-01-01 - Frequently cited cases include Tsarbopoulos v. - Birth place: Malden, MA ## 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/1390636) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390636) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390636) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2936/edward-f-shea/) - [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/2936/edward-f-shea/) - [Judge Edward F. Shea](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390636) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edward-f-shea", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edward-f-shea", "name": "Edward F. Shea | KnowJudges", "description": "Edward F. Shea, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-03", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edward-f-shea#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edward-f-shea#judge", "name": "Edward F. 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Shea", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/edward-f-shea" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 73 | 0 | Not available | 0 | | 2y | 173 | 45 | 5.1 | 45 | | 5y | 384 | 253 | 6.1 | 253 | | 10y | 588 | 457 | 8.9 | 457 | 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.