Christopher Conner
Christopher Conner is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He joined the court in 2002 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. He served as the court's chief judge from 2013 to June 1, 2020.[1]
On June 10, 2024, Conner announced that he would retire on January 17, 2025.[2]
Early life and education
Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Conner graduated from Cornell University with his bachelor's degree in 1979 and from the Dickinson School of Law with his J.D. in 1982.[1]
Professional career
- 2002 - Present: Judge United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- 2013 - 2020: Chief judge
- 2000: Adjunct professor, Widener University School of Law
- 1982-2002: Private practice, Pennsylvania[1]
Judicial career
Middle District of Pennsylvania
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Christopher C. Conner |
| Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 148 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: February 28, 2002
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| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
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| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: May 9, 2002
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| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: May 16, 2002
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| Confirmed: July 26, 2002
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| Vote: Voice vote
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Conner was nominated to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania by President George W. Bush on February 28, 2002, to a seat vacated by Sylvia Rambo. The American Bar Association rated Conner Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Conner's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 9, 2002, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on May 16, 2002. Conner was confirmed on a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on July 26, 2002, and he received his commission on July 29, 2002. Since 2013, Conner has served as the chief judge of the district court.[1][3][4]
Noteworthy cases
Judge overturns decades old conviction (2014)
Tyrone Moore was charged and convicted with the October 1982 murder of Nicholas Romanchick during the robbery of the Forty Fort Animal Hospital in Pennsylvania. His initial sentence was the death penalty, but in 2000, a county court judge vacated the sentence after finding Moore's trial counsel was ineffective. Moore was subsequently given life without parole. After more appeals, his case reached Christopher Conner, a judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Conner determined that Moore's trial counsel was ineffective and that justice required that Moore receive a new trial. Judge Conner found that trial counsel was deficient for not calling certain witnesses nor were witnesses impeached properly. He overturned the 1983 conviction and told the State of Pennsylvania it had 90 days to retry Moore or release him. After a plea agreement with Pennsylvania, Moore was released from prison in 2016.
Articles:
See also
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge Christopher C. Conner," accessed October 4, 2014
- ↑ United States Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed June 10, 2024
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 1470 — Christopher C. Conner — The Judiciary," accessed May 23, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 107th Congress," accessed May 23, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania 2002-Present |
Succeeded by Keli Neary |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania
State courts:
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts
State resources:
Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
