Julia Munley

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Tenure

2023 - Present

Years in position

2

Predecessor:Robert David Mariani (Nonpartisan)

Prior offices:

Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas

Year left office: 2023

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Report an officeholder change

Education

Bachelor's

Marywood College, 1987

Law

Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson Law, 1992

Contact

Official website

Julia Munley is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. She was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on May 4, 2023, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on October 17, 2023, by a vote of 52-45.^[1] Munley was one of 235Article III judges nominated by PresidentJoe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed byJoe Biden,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Prior to joining the court, Munley was a judge of theLackawanna County Court of Common Pleas inPennsylvania. Munley was appointed to the court byDemocratic GovernorTom Wolf on June 13, 2016. She was sworn into office on July 1, 2016.^[2][3] Munley ran unopposed for election to her seat in 2016.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (2023-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On May 4, 2023, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Munley to theUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. She was confirmed by a 52-45 vote of the U.S. Senate on October 17, 2023.^[1] Munley received commission on November 7, 2023.^[4] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Julia Munley
Court:United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Progress
Confirmed 166 days after nomination.
ANominated: May 4, 2023
AABA Rating: Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: June 7, 2023
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: July 20, 2023
AConfirmed: October 17, 2023
AVote: 52-45

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Munley by a vote of 52-45 on October 17, 2023.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Munley confirmation vote (October 17, 2023)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	46	0	2
Republican	3	45	1
Independent	3	0	0
Total	52[5]	45	3

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Munley's nomination on June 7, 2023. Munley was reported to the full Senate on July 20, 2023, after a 12-9 committee vote.^[1]Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On May 4, 2023, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Munley to theUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.^[1]

TheAmerican Bar Association (ABA) rated MunleyWell Qualified.^[6] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Munley was nominated to replace JudgeRobert David Mariani, who assumedsenior status on September 30, 2022.^[7][4]

Biography

Education

Munley earned a bachelor's degree from Marywood College in 1987 and a law degree from Dickinson School of Law in 1992.^[4]

Professional career

• 2023-present: Judge,United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• 2016-2023: Judge,Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas
• 1993-2016: Private practice
• 1998-2001: Part-time solicitor, Elderly Law Project, Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging
• 1992-1993: Law clerk^[4]

Elections

2017

See also:Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2017

Pennsylvania heldlocal judicial elections on November 7, 2017. A primary election occurred on May 16, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 7, 2017. Candidates and recently appointed judges of theCourts of Common Pleas must initially run inpartisan elections. Subsequent terms are won throughretention elections. Elections for theMagisterial District Courts are always partisan. Pennsylvania allowscross-filing for candidates running in partisan elections. Most candidates run in both theDemocratic andRepublican primaries.^[8]

IncumbentJulia Munley (Democratic/Republican) ran unopposed in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas general election.^[9]

Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas, General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic/Republican	Julia MunleyIncumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	40,396
Total Votes				40,396
Source:Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Municipal Election," November 7, 2017

IncumbentJulia Munley ran unopposed in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas Democratic primary.^[10]

Ballotpedia will publish vote totals here after they become available.

Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas, Democratic Primary, 2017
Candidate
Julia MunleyIncumbent
Source:Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Primary Judge of the Court of Common Pleas," accessed May 16, 2017

Munley also ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Selection method

See also:Partisan election of judges

The439 judges of thecourt of common pleas are elected to 10-year terms inpartisan elections. Candidates may cross-file with both political parties for the partisan primaries, which are followed by general elections where the primary winners from each party compete.^[11][12] Judges must run in yes-noretention elections if they wish to continue serving after their first term. A separate part of the ballot is designated for these elections, and judges' names appear without respect to party affiliation.^[11][13]

• The president judge of eachPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas is chosen by either peer vote or seniority, depending on the size of the court. Statewide, all courts composed of more than seven individuals must select their chief judge by peer vote. Those with seven or fewer members select their chief by seniority.^[11][14]

Qualifications
To serve on an appellate or general jurisdiction court, a judge must:^[11]

• have state residence for at least one year;
• be a district resident for at least one year (for common pleas judges);
• be a member of the state bar; and
• be under the age of 75.

While retirement at 75 ismandatory, judges may apply forsenior judge status. Senior judges may serve as such until the last day of the calendar year in which they turn 78.^[14]

About the court

Middle District of Pennsylvania
Third Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 6
Judges: 6
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Matthew Brann
Active judges: Matthew Brann,Karoline Mehalchick,Julia Munley,Keli Neary,Jennifer Philpott Wilson,Joseph Saporito Senior judges: Yvette Kane,Malachy Mannion,Robert David Mariani

TheUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is one of 94United States district courts. The court operates out ofScranton, Pennsylvania. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit based in downtownPhiladelphia at the James Byrne Courthouse.

Pennsylvania counties (click for larger map)

The Middle District of Pennsylvania hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Middle District of Pennsylvania consists of approximately one-half ofPennsylvania. The following counties form the Middle District:

To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

• The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
• The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by theSenate Judiciary Committee.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

• As part of this process, the committee sends ablue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

• After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

• If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
• If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

• The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

• If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
• If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

See also

• Courts in Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas
• Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit

External links

Suggest a link

• The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, "Common Pleas Judges"
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Biography from theFederal Judicial Center

Footnotes

v • e Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Active judges	Chief Judge: Matthew Brann  •  Karoline Mehalchick  •  Julia Munley  •  Joseph Saporito  •  Jennifer Philpott Wilson  •  Keli Neary
Senior judges	Yvette Kane  •  Malachy Mannion  •  Robert David Mariani  •
Magistrate judges	Martin C. Carlson  •  Susan E. Schwab  •
Former Article III judges	Thomas Vanaskie  •  Richard Caputo  •  James Munley  •  Christopher Conner  •  John E. Jones  •  William Nealon  •  Richard Conaboy  •  Sylvia Rambo  •  William Caldwell  •  Edwin Kosik  •  James McClure  •  Robert Wodrow Archbald  •  Charles Witmer  •  Albert Williams Johnson  •  Albert Leisenring Watson  •  Frederick Follmer  •  Robert Herman  •  John William Murphy  •  Michael Sheridan  •
Former Chief judges	Thomas Vanaskie  •  William Nealon  •  Richard Conaboy  •  Sylvia Rambo  •  Albert Leisenring Watson  •  Frederick Follmer  •  John William Murphy  •  Michael Sheridan  •

v • e Federal judges nominated to Article III courts byJoe Biden
Commissioned in 2025	Keli Neary
Commissioned in 2024	John Kazen •John Russell •Margaret Garnett •Cristal Brisco •Jacquelyn Austin •Gretchen Hess Lund •Micah Smith •Joshua Kolar •Karoline Mehalchick •Kirk Sherriff •Lisa Wang •David Leibowitz •Jacqueline Becerra •Julie Sneed •Melissa Damian •Kelly H. Rankin •Nicole Berner •Sunil Harjani •Leon Schydlower •Ernesto Gonzalez •Susan Bazis •Robert White •Ann Marie McIff Allen •Eumi Lee •Krissa Lanham •Eric Schulte •Camela Theeler •Angela Martinez •Jasmine Yoon •Nancy Maldonado •Meredith Vacca •Georgia Alexakis •Joseph Saporito •Amy Baggio •Stacey Neumann •Mary Kay Lanthier •Adam Abelson •Laura Provinzino •Mary Kay Costello •Dena Coggins •Kevin Ritz •Shanlyn A. S. Park •Byron Conway •Jeannette Vargas •Michelle Williams Court •Jonathan E. Hawley •April Perry •Mustafa Kasubhai •Sarah Russell •Amir Ali •Rebecca Pennell •Anthony Brindisi •Elizabeth Coombe •Cynthia Valenzuela •Anne Hwang •Brian Murphy •Noël Wise •Sanket Bulsara •Tiffany Johnson •Sparkle Sooknanan •Gail Weilheimer •Embry Kidd •Melissa DuBose •Sharad Desai •Serena R. Murillo •Benjamin Cheeks •Sarah Davenport
Commissioned in 2023	Kai Scott •Tamika Montgomery-Reeves •Margaret R. Guzman •Daniel Calabretta •Matthew Garcia •DeAndrea G. Benjamin •Cindy Chung •Adrienne Nelson •Lindsay Jenkins •Gina Méndez-Miró •Araceli Martínez-Olguín •Jamar Walker •Ana Reyes •Jamal Whitehead •Gordon Gallagher •Matthew Brookman•Maria Araujo Kahn• James Simmons •Robert Ballou• Andrew Schopler •Jonathan Grey•Colleen Lawless •Arun Subramanian •Jessica Clarke •Robert Kirsch •Michael Farbiarz •Anthony Johnstone •Orelia Merchant •Wesley Hsu •Bradley Garcia •LaShonda A. Hunt •Nancy Gbana Abudu •Amanda Brailsford •Darrel Papillion •Jeremy Daniel •Hernan D. Vera •Julie Rikelman •Nusrat Choudhury •P. Casey Pitts •Myong Joun •Kymberly Evanson •Tiffany Cartwright •Rachel Bloomekatz •Natasha Merle •Dale Ho •Philip Hadji •Rita Lin •Brendan Hurson •Vernon D. Oliver •Matthew Maddox •Julia Munley •Brandy McMillion •Susan DeClercq •Julia Kobick •Ramon Reyes, Jr. •Ana de Alba •Kenly Kiya Kato •Mónica Ramírez Almadani •Jeffrey M. Bryan •Jamel Semper •Irma Ramirez •Richard Federico •Loren AliKhan •Brandon Long •Jerry Edwards Jr.•Sara Hill •Joseph Laroski
Commissioned in 2022	David Herrera Urias •Gabriel Sanchez •Holly Thomas •Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong •David Ruiz •Charles Fleming •Bridget Brennan •Leonard Stark •Alison J. Nathan •John Chun •Julie Rubin •Jacqueline Scott Corley •Ruth Bermudez Montenegro •Victoria Calvert •Georgette Castner •Anne Traum •Cristina Silva •Ketanji Brown Jackson (Supreme Court) •Sarah Geraghty •Hector Gonzalez •Fred Slaughter •Jennifer Rochon •Robert Huie •Sunshine S. Sykes • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Evelyn Padin • Sherilyn P. Garnett • Ana de Alba • J. Michelle Childs • Trina Thompson • Elizabeth Hanes • Nancy Maldonado • Nina Morrison • Gregory Williams • John Z. Lee • Sal Mendoza, Jr. • Lara Montecalvo • Florence Pan • Andre Mathis • Sarah A.L. Merriam •Jennifer Rearden • Roopali Desai • María Antongiorgi-Jordán • Camille Vélez-Rivé • Doris Pryor • Frances Kay Behm • Dana Douglas • Mia Roberts Perez • Anne Nardacci •Jeffery P. Hopkins
Commissioned in 2021	Ketanji Brown Jackson • Zahid Quraishi •Julien Xavier Neals • Deborah Boardman • Regina Rodriguez • Candace Jackson-Akiwumi • Lydia Kay Griggsby • Tiffany Cunningham • Eunice Lee • Angel Kelley •Florence Pan •Veronica Rossman • David G. Estudillo • Sarah A.L. Merriam •Gustavo Gelpí • Christine O'Hearn •Margaret Strickland • Karen McGlashan Williams •Patricia Tolliver Giles • Toby Heytens •Michael Nachmanoff •Sarala Nagala • Beth Robinson • Omar A. Williams • Myrna Pérez • Jia Cobb • Tana Lin • Lauren King • Lucy H. Koh • Jennifer Sung • Samantha Elliott • Katherine Menendez • Mary Dimke • Linda Lopez • Shalina Kumar • Jane Beckering • Jinsook Ohta • Jennifer L. Thurston •Stephen Locher •Charlotte Sweeney •Nina Nin-Yuen Wang •Arianna Freeman •Jerry Blackwell

v • e 2017 Elections forState andLocal Courts State Louisiana •Pennsylvania •Washington •Wisconsin Local General andlimited jurisdiction trial courts:Connecticut •Louisiana •Mississippi •New York •Pennsylvania •Washington •Wisconsin Certain municipal jurisdiction trial courts:Ohio