--- title: "Thomas J. Rueter | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-j-rueter-new-jersey-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Thomas J. Rueter U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey - State: New Jersey - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: recalled - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Law clerk to U.S. District Judge Joseph L. McGlynn, Jr. (1980–1982) - Retired U.S. magistrate judge of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, now serving as a mediator, arbitrator, and court‐appointed neutral through JAMS ### Education ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania, 1994-present - Joined the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on February 22, 1994 and served until his retirement on September 11, 2020. - Chief Magistrate Judge from 2009 to 2016 and conducted more than 4,000 settlement conferences during his judicial service - Over his 26‐year tenure, he presided over a wide range of federal cases — from business and commercial disputes to personal injury, intellectual property, civil rights, insurance, employment, and franchise matters. - He also held the role of the district court’s employment dispute resolution coordinator and handled complex e‐discovery and MDL (multidistrict litigation) matters, including the asbestos litigation MDL 875 and the NFL Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation MDL 2323 - His background in both litigation and dispute resolution has made him a sought‐after neutral in high‐stakes, multi‐party cases ## 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=22) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=22) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=22) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9508/thomas-j-rueter/) - [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/9508/thomas-j-rueter/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9508/thomas-j-rueter/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-j-rueter-new-jersey-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-j-rueter-new-jersey-us-magistrate", "name": "Thomas J. 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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-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.