--- title: "Irene Patricia Murphy Keeley | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/irene-patricia-murphy-keeley" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Irene Patricia Murphy Keeley U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia - State: West Virginia - Role: U.S. District 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, N.D. West Virginia, 1992-present - Adjunct professor of law, West Virginia University College of Law, 1990-1991 - She also held the role of an adjunct professor at WVU College of Law (1990–1991) - Retired senior judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia ### Education - West Virginia University College of Law — J.D. (1980) - B.A. — College of Notre Dame of Maryland, an M.A. in 1977 from West Virginia University, (1965) ### Additional information - Inactive senior status: September 30, 2022 - Over her career, Keeley handled 3,805 district‐court cases (1989–2022), with a median case resolution time of about 245 days. - Senior status: August 12, 2017 - Chief Judge: 2001–2008 - On April 1, 1992, President George H. W. Bush nominated her to a newly created seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia; she was confirmed by the Senate on August 11, 1992 and commissioned on August 12, 1992. - Private practice, Clarksburg, WV, 1980-1992 - Private practice, Clarksburg, West Virginia, 1980-1992 - After law school, Keeley practiced in Clarksburg, West Virginia (1980–1992) at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, where she was among the first two female litigators and the first woman to have a baby at the firm, leading to the firm’s adoption of a three‐month maternity leave policy. - Born January 17, 1944, Brooklyn, New York. - Date of birth: 1944-01-01 - Of 459 appellate decisions reviewed, 409 were affirmed. - Gutierrez (272 citations). - The first woman appointed to the Northern District of West Virginia’s federal bench. - Her caseload included prisoner and habeas cases (20%), personal injury torts (19%), contract disputes (18%), civil rights (10%), and Social Security matters (8%). - She authored 90 published opinions, most cited for Dellarcirprete v. - Born in Brooklyn and raised in Washington, D.C., Keeley’s father was a U.S. DOJ Civil Rights Division attorney, and her mother was active in civic and charitable work. - Before law school, she taught middle school in Maryland and high school in Clarksburg, WV, experiences she has said shaped her communication and teaching skills. - She enjoys boating with her husband, Jack. - Birth place: Brooklyn, NY ## 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/1383121) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1383121) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1383121) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1723/irene-patricia-murphy-keeley/) - [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/1723/irene-patricia-murphy-keeley/) - [Judge Irene Patricia Murphy Keeley](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1383121) - [Wikidata: Irene Patricia Murphy Keeley](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6069198) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/irene-patricia-murphy-keeley", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/irene-patricia-murphy-keeley", "name": "Irene Patricia Murphy Keeley | KnowJudges", "description": "Irene Patricia Murphy Keeley, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. 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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.