Robert John Colville at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- Jurisdiction
- Pennsylvania · Federal
- Judicial service
- December 31, 2019–present
Robert John Colville
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Available research
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Biography
Professional career
- President Judge, Statewide Court of Judicial Discipline, PA, 2015-2016
- adj-prof, La Roche College, Pittsburgh, PA, 2003-present
- Practitioner, Pietragallo, Bosick & Gordon (later Pietragallo, Gordon, Alfano, Bosick & Raspanti LLP), Pittsburgh, PA, 1994-1999
Judicial service
- Law clerk to Justice Ralph Cappy, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, PA, 1992-1994
- Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Alleghany County, Juvenile Division, PA, 2000-2002
- Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Family Division, PA, 2002-2003
- Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Civil Division, PA, 2003-2019
- Judge, Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, Harrisburg, PA, 2012-2016
- Judge, U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Western Pennsylvania, 2019-present
Education
- Duquesne University · JD, 1992
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · BA, 1989
Personal record
Born 1965 · Pittsburgh, PA
Courtroom rules and guidance
Presentation Procedure
Judge-specific source
Where copies of documents are offered, the originals shall be available for examination, unless waived by stipulation. All exhibits will be presented using the Court’s electronic presentation system. All trial counsel must know how to use it.Colville_Practices_Procedures_2024.pdf ↗
Civil Remote Testimony
In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.
For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/7545466CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15331/robert-john-colville/Colville_Practices_Procedures_2024.pdf
Judge research source · PDF · checked July 24, 2026
https://www.pawd.uscourts.gov/sites/pawd/files/Colville_Practices_Procedures_2024.pdfFederal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts