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Judge Karoline Mehalchick
United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Biographical Information
For additional information, please call Chambers at: (570) 207-5740
Staff Information
Courtroom Deputy:
(570) 207-5740
Chambers:
(570) 207-5740
Fax:
(570) 207-5749
Judge Tabs
Communication
Written correspondence from counsel to the court.
Judge Mehalchick does not accept any written correspondence unless specifically directed by the court, in which case, counsel may correspond with her, provided that all counsel are copied. Counsel should not copy the court on correspondence between one another unless specifically directed by the court.
All requests for court action on a pending matter other than discovery disputes shall be presented by motion in compliance with the
Middle District of Pennsylvania Local Rules
. Discovery disputes, which should be raised by written correspondence filed to the docket in the subject case in lieu of a formal motion practice.
Preferences for the use of telephone conferences rather than in-person conferences for any category of conferences scheduled in connection with a case.
Judge Mehalchick generally conducts case management conferences, status conferences, and discovery conferences by telephone. She conducts settlement conferences and pre-trial conferences in person.
Inquiries
Any inquiries concerning cases should be directed to Judge Mehalchick’s Courtroom Deputy at (570) 207-5740. Judge Mehalchick does not allow communications between counsel and her law clerks, and all questions regarding scheduling and procedures should be directed to Judge Mehalchick’s Courtroom Deputy.
Copies of Papers
Courtesy copies of motions, briefs, and other writings for chambers.
Courtesy copies are not required and should not be delivered to chambers unless specifically requested.
Motions
All motions and briefs must be filed in accordance with the
Middle District of Pennsylvania Local Rules
and the court’s case management orders. Failure to comply with the Local Rules and court orders will result in the motions being denied.
Discovery Motions
Judge Mehalchick expects counsel to make all reasonable efforts to resolve discovery disputes without court involvement. Counsel is to raise any discovery dispute with the court through the filing of a letter on the docket describing the nature of the dispute and requesting a conference with the court. Judge Mehalchick will attempt to resolve the dispute without the necessity of a motion.
Proposed Orders
When filing a proposed order with a motion, include a heading as “Order” rather than “Proposed Order” or “[Proposed] Order.” The court is advised of the “proposed” status of a party’s order by virtue of CM/ECF functions.
Trial
Counsel are expected to review and comply with the court’s case-specific practice order and the
Middle District of Pennsylvania Local Rules
. For questions that are not answered by reference to these sources, counsel should speak with Judge Mehalchick’s Courtroom Deputy at (570) 207-5740.
V
oir Dire
Judge Mehalchick conducts initial voir dire in all civil and criminal cases.
Multiple Attorneys
Judge Mehalchick allows more than one attorney to handle a case for a party, but expects only one attorney for each witness, and for opening and closing statements.
Jury Instructions and Special Verdict Forms
Jury instructions should be based on the Third Circuit and Pennsylvania model and standard instructions. Judge Mehalchick requires that counsel jointly prepare an agreed-upon special verdict slip.
Use of Generative AI
Increased use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), particularly Generative AI(including, but not limited to, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Bard), in the practice of law raises a number of practical concerns for the Court, including the risk that the generative AI tool might generate legally or factually incorrect information, or that it might create unsupported or nonexistent legal citations. As such, any party, whether appearing
pro se
or through counsel, who utilizes any generative AI tool in the preparation of any document to be filed in any matter pending before Judge Mehalchick, must include with the document a Certificate of Use of Generative AI in which the party must disclose and certify:
The specific AI tool that was used;
The portions of the filing prepared by the AI program; and
That a person has checked the accuracy of any portion of the document generated by AI, including all citations and legal authority.
Failure to comply with this Order may result in sanctions. Further, all parties and counsel are directed to review the conclusions on pages 15 and 16 of the
Joint Formal Opinion of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Association regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence
and be mindful of their ethical and professional obligations before this Court.
Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann
Judge Jennifer P. Wilson
Judge Julia K. Munley
Judge Karoline Mehalchick
Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr.
Judge Keli M. Neary
Judge Yvette Kane
Judge Robert D. Mariani
Judge Malachy E. Mannion
Chief Magistrate Judge Daryl F. Bloom
Magistrate Judge Susan E. Schwab
Magistrate Judge Phillip Caraballo
Magistrate Judge Leo A. Latella
Magistrate Judge Sean A. Camoni
Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson (Recalled)
