Washington, DC- Following the announcement that President Obama has nominated Gerald McHugh and Edward Smith to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) released the following statements:
“I am very pleased that President Obama has nominated Jerry McHugh and Edward Smith to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,” said Senator Casey. “Jerry McHugh is an excellent lawyer who has worked tirelessly for justice for all Pennsylvanians throughout his legal career. Jerry McHugh is one of the preeminent lawyers in Pennsylvania. He also has a long and admirable record of civic and charitable work. Judge Edward Smith has an unparalleled record of service as a U.S. Navy JAG officer and a military trial judge. His service on the Northampton County Court of Common Please is universally respected I hope that the Senate will quickly take up and confirm the nominations of these two capable and outstanding candidates.”
“I am happy that the President nominated Gerald McHugh and Judge Edward Smith to be district court judges in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,” said Sen. Toomey. “The selection of two well-qualified candidates demonstrates the strength and effectiveness of the Sen. Casey’s and my bipartisan system for selecting judges.”
“Gerald McHugh has a wealth of legal experience gained from more than three decades in private practice. I am confident he will excel as a federal judge – presiding with thoughtfulness and integrity. I look forward to him joining our other talented federal jurists in Philadelphia.”
“In his 11 years on the bench in Northampton County, Judge Edward Smith has presided over numerous civil and criminal cases. He is also a 27-year veteran of the United States Navy and serves as a military trial judge, presiding over military proceedings at Navy and Marine Corps bases throughout the world. Judge Smith will sit in the Easton courthouse, which has lacked a sitting federal judge since 2004, thus ensuring that the people of the northern Lehigh Valley will once again have close, ready access to the federal judiciary. He is a dedicated, intelligent jurist and I am confident he will live up to the very highest standards.”
"Sen. Casey and I have worked together in a bipartisan fashion to confirm eight highly qualified men and women to district courts in Pennsylvania since I joined the Senate in 2011. I am confident that these nominees will live up to these ideals and hope that the Senate confirms them in a timely manner."
Gerald McHugh
Gerald A. McHugh, Jr. is currently a partner at Raynes McCarty in Philadelphia, where he has worked since 2004 in civil litigation including medical malpractice, unsafe products, aviation disasters, civil rights, and workplace accidents. Before joining the firm, he was a shareholder at Litvin, Blumberg, Matusow & Young from 1981 until 2004. He served as a law clerk to United States District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge Alfred L. Luongo from 1979 to 1981.
He serves on the boards of a number of charitable and civic organizations, including the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network as President since 2004, Lawyers Concerned for Kids Foundation, Hospitality House of Pennsylvania, Lawyers Trust Account Board of which he was Chairman from 1996-2003, West Philadelphia Fire House Project, Inc., and Hospitality House of Philadelphia which he co-founded.
McHugh graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was Associate Editor of the Law Review, in 1979. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Honors Program at St. Joseph’s University in 1976.
Edward Smith
Since 2002, Edward G. Smith has served as a presiding judge for the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County. Smith has served as a Captain in the United States Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corps since 1984. He has also been a partner at DeRaymond & Smith from 1990 to 2001 and served as a solicitor to the Northampton County Industrial Development Authority and Upper Nazareth Township.
He has received numerous military awards, including the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and two National Defense Service Medals. He has also served as the former President of the Boys and Girls Club of Easton, former Chairman of the Northampton County Drug and Alcohol Commission, former Chairman of Easton Fire Civil Service Commission, and former Director of the YMCA of Easton, Phillipsburg and Vicinity.
Smith graduated cum laude from the Dickinson School of Law in 1986. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin and Marshall College in 1983.
###
