--- title: "John Michael Gallagher | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-michael-gallagher" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # John Michael Gallagher 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, PA, 2019-present - American federal judge serving on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since December 31, 2019 - Judge Gallagher’s background in law enforcement, federal prosecution, and high-level legal counsel has shaped his judicial perspective, and he continues to serve in the federal judiciary as of 2026 - Chief of Allentown Branch Office, United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Allentown, PA, 2014-2019 - Assistant U.S. Attorney, United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, PA, 2004-2019 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2004-2019; chief, Allentown Branch Office, 2014-2019 - Assistant U.S. Attorney and Civil Rights Coordinator, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico, NM, 2001-2003 - White House Fellow, counsel to attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice, 2000-2001 - Special Counsel to Police Commissioner, Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia, PA, 1998-2000 - Assistant District Attorney, Monroe County, NY, 1997-1998 - Assistant Special Prosecutor, Monroe County, NY, 1997-1998 - Assistant district attorney, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, 1997-1998 - Assistant Special Prosecutor, New York Police Department, NY, 1996-1997 - Assistant special prosecutor, New York City Police Department, 1996-1997 - Assistant District Attorney, Bronx County, NY, 1994-1997 - Assistant district attorney, Bronx County, New York, 1994-1996 ### Education - New York Law School — J.D. (1994) - Long Island University — B.A. (1989) - Long Island University — B.S. (1989) ### Additional information - Assistant Chief of Police, Miami Police Department Administration Division, 2003-2004 - Assistant chief of police, Administration Division, Miami, Florida, 2003-2004 - Special counsel to police commissioner, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1998-2000 - Various Positions, Miami and Philadelphia Police Departments, 1989-1994 - Police officer, New York City, 1989-1994 - Date of birth: 1966-01-01 - Birth place: Queens, New York City, 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/7544446) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544446) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544446) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15339/john-michael-gallagher/) - [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/15339/john-michael-gallagher/) - [Judge John Michael Gallagher](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544446) - [Wikidata: John M. Gallagher](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q66816398) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-michael-gallagher", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-michael-gallagher", "name": "John Michael Gallagher | KnowJudges", "description": "John Michael Gallagher, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 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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.