Joseph Saporito

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

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Joseph Saporito
	Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Progress
	Confirmed 78 days after nomination.
	Nominated: May 14, 2024
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: June 5, 2024
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: July 11, 2024
	Confirmed: July 31, 2024
	Vote: 53-39

Joseph F. Saporito, Jr., is a judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on May 14, 2024, and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 31, 2024, by a vote of 53-39.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Saporito was a federal magistrate judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He joined the court on February 12, 2015.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On May 14, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Saporito to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.^[1] Saporito received commission on August 13, 2024.^[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Saporito by a vote of 53-39 on July 31, 2024.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Saporito confirmation vote (July 31, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	43	0	4
Republican	6	39	4
Independent	4	0	0
Total	53^[4]	39	8

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Saporito's nomination on June 5, 2024.^[1] Saporito was reported to the full Senate on July 11, 2024, after a 14-7 committee vote.^[5] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On May 14, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Saporito to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.^[1]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Saporito well qualified.^[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Saporito was nominated to replace Judge Malachy Mannion, who assumed senior status on January 3, 2024.^[7]

Biography

Early life and education

Saporito was born Pittston, Pennsylvania in 1960. He received his B.A. from Villanova University in 1982 and his J.D. from Dickinson School of Law in 1985.^[2]

Career

2024-2024: Judge, United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
2015-2024: Magistrate judge, United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- 2024: Chief magistrate judge
1985-2015: Private practice, Pittston, Pennsylvania
1985-2015: Assistant public defender, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
1986-2009: Law clerk, Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County^[2]

About the court

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

Pennsylvania counties (click for larger map)

The Middle District of Pennsylvania has original 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 of Pennsylvania. The following counties form the Middle District:

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

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 the Senate 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 a blue 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.

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Malachy Mannion	United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania 2024-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania 2015	Succeeded by -

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