---
title: "Legrome D. Davis | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/legrome-d-davis"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Legrome D. Davis

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: senior
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (since 2017)
- Judge, District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania, 2002-present
- Attorney, General Counsel Office, University of Pennsylvania, 1987-present
- Senior judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, having assumed senior status on September 28, 2017
- Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Pennsylvania, 1987-2002
- Assistant deputy district attorney, Philadelphia, PA, 1981-1987
- Assistant district attorney, Philadelphia, PA, 1977-1980

### Education

- Rutgers University School of Law–Camden in — J.D. (1976)
- Princeton University in — B.A. (1973)

### Additional information

- Private practice, Pennsylvania, 1987-present
- Served until 2017, when he took senior status
- First nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and again in 1999 to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, but those nominations were returned to the President without Senate confirmation In 2002, President George W. Bush nominated him to the same seat, and the Senate confirmed him 94–0 on April 18, 2002
- His appointment to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 1987 was notable for being made without prior consultation with Democratic Party leaders, leading to political controversy
- Attorney, Pennsylvania Crime Commission, 1980-1981
- Born 1952 in Columbus, Ohio
- Davis was born in 1952 and grew up in multiple U.S. states and in England due to his father’s U.S. Air Force service
- Date of birth: 1952-01-01
- Regarded favorably by both prosecutors and defense attorneys
- Birth place: Columbus, 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/1391481)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391481)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391481)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/820/legrome-d-davis/)
- [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/820/legrome-d-davis/)
- [Wikidata: Legrome D. Davis](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6518669)

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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 | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 |
| 2y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 |
| 5y | 0 | 0 | Not available | 0 |
| 10y | 134 | 134 | 3.1 | 134 |

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.
