--- title: "J. Nicholas Ranjan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/j-nicholas-ranjan" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # J. Nicholas Ranjan U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western 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, W.D. Pennsylvania, 2019-present - Adjunct professor, Grove City College, 2012-present - J. Nicholas Ranjan is a federal judge serving on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, appointed in 2019 by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 80–14 - Law clerk, Hon. Deborah L. Cook, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 2004-2005 - Simon Karas Fellow, Office of the State Solicitor, State of Ohio, 2003-2004 ### Education - University of Michigan-Ann Arbor — J.D. (2003) - Grove City College — B.A. (2000) - University of Michigan Law School ### Additional information - Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association, 2016-2019 - Private practice, Pittsburgh, PA, 2005-2019 - Date of birth: 1978-01-01 - Fairport High School - Birth place: Lancaster, OH ## 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/6731086) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6731086) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6731086) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14417/j-nicholas-ranjan/) - [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/14417/j-nicholas-ranjan/) - [Wikidata: Nicholas Ranjan](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55584767) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/j-nicholas-ranjan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/j-nicholas-ranjan", "name": "J. 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Nicholas Ranjan", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/j-nicholas-ranjan" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 246 | 104 | 0.6 | 104 | | 2y | 389 | 178 | 1 | 178 | | 5y | 786 | 540 | 3.6 | 540 | | 10y | 1082 | 830 | 4.5 | 830 | 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.