U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
5 judges profiled from their own signed orders: how each rules on motions, with the orders quoted. Court-wide standing orders ↓
Robert N. Opel IIRetired
Bankruptcy judge
Mary D. FranceRetired 2017
Bankruptcy judge
Henry W. Van Eck
Bankruptcy judge
John J. ThomasDeceased
Bankruptcy judge
Mark J. Conway
Bankruptcy judge
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026). Courts revise these, so confirm the current version before you file. The court's local rules ↗
- General Order 2026-02: Pleadings Drafted with the Use of Artificial Intelligence ↗
- General Order 2026-01: Storage and Management of Sealed Documents ↗
- General Order 2024-01: Highly Sensitive Documents ↗
Filing
For a filing prepared with generative AI, check every legal citation and ensure each stated fact has or will have record support.
“(1) Ensure the accuracy of all citations or representations of law contained in the filing to avoid hallucinated, misrepresented, or miscited citation; and (2) Ensure that all references to facts are reasonably supported by the record before the Court or will be made a part of the record before this Court to avoid a hallucinated or miscited fact.”
Sealing
Serve sealed documents by another method allowed by the Federal Rules; CM/ECF service no longer suffices.
“Parties will have to serve sealed documents by other appropriate means as provided by the applicable Federal Rules of Procedure.”
Sealing
Seek leave before filing a highly sensitive document.
“Any party seeking to file an HSD must, before such filing, seek leave of court for such filing in the manner provided in paragraph 2(b).”
Sealing
Submit a highly sensitive document request and the proposed document to the clerk in an envelope marked “HIGHLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENT.”
“The request and the proposed HSD material shall be submitted to the clerk’s office in a sealed envelope marked ‘HIGHLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENT.’”
Sealing
File and serve highly sensitive documents on paper or secure electronic media, according to the order.
“HSDs will be filed and served in paper form (or, if digital media, on a secure electronic device, such as a flash drive), in accordance with this Order and the HSD Guidance”