High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, W.D. Pa.) sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. Judge Gary L. Lancaster is currently Chief Judge of the Western Pennsylvania District. Steven Richard Frank is currently the nominee of President Barack Obama (as of June 2011) to be the United States Marshal for the Western Pennsylvania District Court. Appeals from this court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).