--- title: "Jeffrey L. Schmehl | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-l-schmehl" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Jeffrey L. Schmehl 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, 2013-present - Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Berks County Pennsylvania, 1998-2013 - Elected as a judge of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in 1998 and later held the role of President Judge from 2008 to 2013 - On November 27, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Schmehl to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, filling the vacancy left by Judge Thomas M. Golden - Solicitor, Berks County, PA, 1989-1997 - During this period, he also held the role of Berks County Solicitor (1989–1997) and as an adjunct professor at the Reading Police Academy and Alvernia College - In 1986, he joined the Wyomissing law firm Rhoda, Stoudt & Bradley, becoming a partner in 1988 and remaining there until 1997 - Assistant district attorney, Berks County, PA, 1981-1986 - After law school, Schmehl began his legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Berks County (1980–1981), followed by service as an Assistant District Attorney (1981–1986). - Assistant public defender, Berks County, PA, 1980-1981 ### Education - University of Toledo College of Law in — J.D. (1980) - Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature from Dickinson College in 1977. ### Additional information - After renomination on January 4, 2013, he was awarded a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 13, 2013, and was confirmed by the Senate on June 13, 2013, by a 100–0 vote, receiving his commission on June 25, 2013. - president judge, 2007-2013 - Private practice, Reading, PA, 1986-1997 - Concurrently, he practiced privately in West Reading from 1981 to 1986. - Private practice, West Reading, PA, 1981-1986 - Jeffrey Louis Schmehl was born in November 1955 in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Louis H. "Herbie" Schmehl Jr. and Adeline J. (Scioli) Schmehl, growing up in a family influenced by Reading’s blue-collar and Italian-American heritage. - Date of birth: 1955-01-01 - He graduated from Governor Mifflin High School - His tenure included overseeing civil and criminal matters at the county level, reflecting extensive experience in both trial and administrative judicial responsibilities - Schmehl’s career reflects a blend of public service, private practice, and judicial leadership. - He was recommended for the federal appointment by Senators Robert P. Casey, Jr. and Patrick J. Toomey - Birth place: Reading, 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/1394236) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394236) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394236) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2863/jeffrey-l-schmehl/) - [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/2863/jeffrey-l-schmehl/) - [Wikidata: Jeffrey L. Schmehl](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6176113) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-l-schmehl", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-l-schmehl", "name": "Jeffrey L. Schmehl | KnowJudges", "description": "Jeffrey L. Schmehl, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-l-schmehl#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-l-schmehl#judge", "name": "Jeffrey L. 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Schmehl", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-l-schmehl" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 172 | 8 | Not available | 8 | | 2y | 372 | 93 | 3.4 | 93 | | 5y | 910 | 561 | 5.7 | 561 | | 10y | 2003 | 1641 | 6.5 | 1641 | 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.