--- title: "Petrese B. Tucker | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petrese-b-tucker" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Petrese B. Tucker 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 - Judge, District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania, 2000-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, having assumed senior status on June 1, 2021 - held the role of Chief Judge of the Eastern District from May 1, 2013, to July 31, 2017, becoming the first woman and first African-American woman to hold that role in the district - Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Pennsylvania, 1987-2000 - Assistant district attorney, Philadelphia, PA, 1978-1986 - Law clerk, Hon. Lawrence Prattis, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Pennsylvania, 1976-1978 - She held the role of a law clerk to Judge Lawrence Prattis of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas (1976–1978) before brief private practice ### Education ### Additional information - She has also been active in civic organizations, including the Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations, and has received awards such as the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award in 2019 - Senior trial attorney, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 1986-1987 - Adjunct professor, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 1984-1985 - Private practice, Pennsylvania, 1977-1978 - Born May 27, 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tucker obtained a B.A. from Temple University in 1973 and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law (now James E. Beasley School of Law) in 1976. - Date of birth: 1951-01-01 - Her historic role as Chief Judge and her ongoing judicial service have contributed to expanding representation and reinforcing principles of fairness and nondiscrimination in the federal judiciary - Tucker’s career reflects a blend of public service, legal leadership, and advocacy for equality. - 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/1391191) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391191) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391191) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3272/petrese-b-tucker/) - [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/3272/petrese-b-tucker/) - [Wikidata: Petrese B. Tucker](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7178760) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petrese-b-tucker", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petrese-b-tucker", "name": "Petrese B. Tucker | KnowJudges", "description": "Petrese B. Tucker, 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/petrese-b-tucker#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petrese-b-tucker#judge", "name": "Petrese B. 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Tucker", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petrese-b-tucker" } ] } ] } ``` ## 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 | 33 | 33 | 4.2 | 33 | | 10y | 788 | 786 | 7.8 | 786 | 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.