--- title: "Gerald Austin McHugh Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Gerald Austin McHugh Jr. 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: active - 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, 2014-present - Gerald A. McHugh Jr. is a well‐qualified federal judge with a strong background in civil litigation and legal scholarship, serving on the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s bench since 2014 - Active judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2014 - Early Career: Law clerk to Judge Edmund B. Spaeth, Pennsylvania Superior Court (1979) Law clerk to Judge Alfred L. Luongo, U.S. District Court, E.D. Pa. (1979–1981) Shareholder, Litvin, Blumberg, Matusow & Young (1981–2004) Partner, Raynes McCarty, Philadelphia (2004–2014) - Law clerk, Hon. Alfred L. Luongo, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1979-1981 ### Education - Saint Josephs College — B.A. (1976) - University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School - Saint Joseph's University ### Additional information - In 2015, Judge McHugh dismissed a case involving the death of a former NBA player - Private practice, Philadelphia, PA, 1981-2014 - Date of birth: 1954-01-01 - handling complex civil litigation in tort, insurance, and civil rights cases - His career reflects a blend of academic achievement, judicial service, and high‐level legal practice before his appointment - St. Joseph's Preparatory School - 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/1394421) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394421) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394421) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2145/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr/) - [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/2145/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr/) - [Wikidata: Gerald Austin McHugh, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16186365) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr", "name": "Gerald Austin McHugh Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "Gerald Austin McHugh Jr., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr#judge", "name": "Gerald Austin McHugh Jr.", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394421", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2145/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr/" ], "birthDate": "1954", "birthPlace": "Philadelphia, PA", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Saint Josephs College" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "St. Joseph's Preparatory School" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Saint Joseph's University" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Pennsylvania", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/pennsylvania" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gerald Austin McHugh Jr.", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-austin-mchugh-jr" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 191 | 12 | 0.4 | 12 | | 2y | 394 | 108 | 2.3 | 108 | | 5y | 1062 | 703 | 4.3 | 703 | | 10y | 2072 | 1699 | 6.1 | 1699 | 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.