3rd Floor One of the busiest floors in the Courthouse! |
The courtrooms on this floor have housed two of the court’s recent chief judges, Senior Judge Donetta W. Ambrose and the late Judge Gary L. Lancaster. Senior Judge Ambrose was the first female chief judge of this Court. She began her term as Chief in 2002 and was succeeded in 2009 by Judge Lancaster, who was this Court’s first African-American chief judge. Judge Lancaster's chambers is now occupied by Judge Cathy Bissoon. Judge Bissoon has many first titles:
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The third floor is also home to the Clerk of Court. The Clerk of Court’s Office is responsible for maintaining official court records, offering assistance to attorneys and the public, and managing various administrative activities that support the performance of the Court. Besides the main office here in Pittsburgh, there are divisional offices located in Erie and Johnstown. |
In the past, attorneys and the public have had to deliver a given document to the Clerk’s Office, where an employee would mark the document, put it on the official court record, called the docket, and pass it onto the judge for action. After the judge ruled on the document, the Clerk would then note that action on the docket and mail a copy of that order or decision to the parties. |
There are two (2) types of juries picked in this Court. The first is a jury to hear a trial, or a “petit” jury. In this Court, prospective petit jurors are “on call” for a two-week period, meaning that they will be randomly directed to report for selection of a jury in either a civil or criminal case. The other type of jury for which an individual can be selected is a “grand jury”. A grand jury is the type of jury which determines whether there is enough evidence for a criminal trial. Grand juries carry out this duty by examining evidence presented to them by a prosecutor (the United States Attorney) and issuing indictments. |