--- title: "Michael M. Baylson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-m-baylson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Michael M. Baylson 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 - Law clerk, Hon. Joseph Sloane, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Pennsylvania, 1965-present - One of his notable rulings was in 2017, when he issued a preliminary injunction preventing the federal government from denying Philadelphia federal funds under the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant due to the city’s sanctuary city status - Judge, District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania, 2002-2012 - Senior United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, appointed in 2002 and elevated to senior status in 2012 - He returned to private practice as a partner at Duane Morris LLP until 2002 - In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed him U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a role he held until 1993 - Assistant district attorney, Philadelphia, PA, 1966-1970 - He held the role of Assistant District Attorney for Philadelphia County from 1966 to 1970, later becoming Chief of the Homicide Division - Began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Joseph Sloane in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas (1965) ### Education - University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School ### Additional information - He assumed senior status on July 13, 2012 - On January 23, 2002, President George W. Bush nominated Baylson to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, replacing Robert F. Kelly. - Confirmed by the Senate on April 30, 2002, and took office June 19, 2002. - Private practice, Philadelphia, PA, 1993-2002 - Private practice, Philadelphia, PA, 1970-1988 - He graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1957, obtained a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964 - Michael Morris Baylson was born May 29, 1939, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - Date of birth: 1939-01-01 - He then entered private practice in Philadelphia, specializing in complex civil litigation, antitrust, and securities cases - Baylson is a founder and former counsel to Gaudenzia, Inc., the largest nonprofit drug, alcohol, and mental health rehabilitation provider in Pennsylvania. - He serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Temple University Beasley School of Law, and is a member of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules of the Judicial Conference of the United States - Birth place: Philadelphia, 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/1391541) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391541) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391541) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/213/michael-m-baylson/) - [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/213/michael-m-baylson/) - [Wikidata: Michael M. Baylson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6832385) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-m-baylson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-m-baylson", "name": "Michael M. Baylson | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael M. Baylson, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-m-baylson#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-m-baylson#judge", "name": "Michael M. 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Baylson", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-m-baylson" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 64 | 4 | Not available | 4 | | 2y | 177 | 72 | 2.8 | 72 | | 5y | 716 | 576 | 5.5 | 576 | | 10y | 1612 | 1464 | 6.1 | 1464 | 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.