Hon. Thomas M. Blewitt (Ret.)

Hon. Thomas M. Blewitt (Ret.)  served as a Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court of the Middle District of Pennsylvania since 1992, including a term as Chief Magistrate Judge from 2002 through 2010.  During his 23 years on the bench, he conducted jury trials, bench trials, settlement conferences, and mediations in civil matters that arose on a regular basis in Federal Court.

Judge Blewitt’s 23-year tenure on the Federal Bench has earned him a reputation as an experienced and skilled mediator who has successfully facilitated the settlement of hundreds of cases involving a wide variety of civil matters, inducing personal injury, business/commercial, civil rights, employment, and product liability.

Judge Blewitt began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, before spending six years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

During his 23 years on the bench, Judge Blewitt acquired a wide and sophisticated range of ADR experience:

• As a United Sates Magistrate Judge, he presided over 77 civil trials while handling close to 600 civil consent cases. Over 5,500 civil matters were referred to Judge Blewitt, and he issued Reports and Recommendations to the District Court over 4,000 times.
• While on the bench, he conducted over 800 settlement conferences throughout the District, including Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, and Harrisburg.