In Memoriam: Gene E.K. Pratter

Gene E.K. Pratter of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has died at age 75. She was elected to the Institute in 2008 and served on the Members Consultative Group for Restatement of the Law Third, Restitution and Unjust Enrichment and Restatement of the Law, Charitable Nonprofit Organizations. 

Below is the announcement from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania: 

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and colleague the Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter. Judge Pratter was an outstanding jurist whose skills as a trial judge were universally respected. Judge Pratter served the public through her distinguished scholarship, compassion, and diligence. Her passing is a tremendous loss for our Court family. She was a mentor to many.  

Judge Pratter was appointed as a federal judge in 2004 to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and served with distinction for two decades. Her reputation gained national prominence as she was selected by Chief Justice Roberts to the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules where she participated in the recent amendment of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. She was also recently appointed to the Judicial Conference Rules of Practice and Procedures Committee.  

Judge Pratter took particular interest in ethics and professional conduct and, in fact, traveled several times to former Soviet-bloc countries to address judicial ethics and case management. She was a graduate of both Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School and remained active at Penn as an adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy as well as serving on the Board of Overseers. Prior to being a federal judge, she served as a partner and general counsel at the law firm Duane Morris LLP. 

 Judge Pratter is an important part of our Court’s history and continuing legacy, and a beloved member of our Court family who will be sorely missed.  

— The Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania 

Additional obituaries are available from The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Bar Association.