---
title: "John Frank Murphy | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-frank-murphy"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# John Frank Murphy

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

- American judge serving on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2022
- Adjunct professor, Rutgers School of Law—Camden, 2014, 2016
- Law clerk, Hon. Kimberly A. Moore, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2008-2009

### Education

- Harvard Law School — J.D. (2007)
- Ph.D. — California Institute of Technology — 2005
- California Institute of Technology — M.S. (2002)
- Cornell University — B.S. (1999)

### Additional information

- Nominated: July 12, 2022, by President Joe Biden to replace retired Judge Lawrence F. Stengel
- Private practice, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2007-2008, 2009-2022

## 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/12912496)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12912496)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12912496)
- [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)
- [Judge John Frank Murphy](https://www.fjc.gov/node/12912496)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 158 | 4 | Not available | 4 |
| 2y | 358 | 95 | 2.8 | 95 |
| 5y | 685 | 374 | 5.1 | 374 |
| 10y | 685 | 374 | 5.1 | 374 |

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.
