---
title: "Gerald B. Cohn | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/gerald-b-cohn-9665"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Gerald B. Cohn

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania · Magistrate

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- State: Pennsylvania
- Role: Magistrate
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- In 2019, appointed to a renewable 8‐year term as U.S. Magistrate Judge, Middle District of Pennsylvania
- He also held the role of a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Illinois starting in 1981
- Partner at Cohn & Sherwood (1980–1981)
- Gerald Bernard Cohn is an American federal judge with a long career in the U.S. judicial system, most recently serving as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

### Education

- University of Chicago Law School in — J.D. (1964)

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania, 2019-present
- Magistrate, District Court, S.D. Illinois, 1981-2004
- Born December 28, 1939, Springfield, Illinois.
- Cohn has been a visiting lecturer at multiple universities, including Southern Illinois University and St. Louis University, and has supervised judicial clerkship programs.
- He has also participated in numerous magistrate judge seminars and training programs nationwide
- Cohn is the son of Herman H. and Goldye (Notowitz) Cohn.

## 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

### recording photography evidence presentation

Scope: statewide

For Pennsylvania Common Pleas proceedings, statewide Pa.R.J.A. 1910 prohibits courtroom broadcasting, recording, and photography unless an exception or judicial authorization applies; the rule also recognizes judge-authorized electronic or photographic means for evidence presentation.

Evidence excerpt: the use of electronic or photographic means for the presentation of evidence

[201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom](https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?d=&file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F201%2Fchapter19%2Fchap19toc.html)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9665/gerald-b-cohn/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9665/gerald-b-cohn/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9665/gerald-b-cohn/)
- [201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom](https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?d=&file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F201%2Fchapter19%2Fchap19toc.html)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9665/gerald-b-cohn/)

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## 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.