THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

                PRESIDENT NOMINATES JOHN H. BINGLER, JR.
                      TO U.S. DISTRICT COURT BENCH

The President today nominated John H. Bingler, Jr. to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Bingler, 57, has enjoyed a distinguished legal career. Since 1971, he has practiced law with the Pittsburgh firm of Thorp, Reed & Armstrong, and recently served for six years as chair of the firm's litigation department. From 1970 to 1971, Bingler was the Public Safety Director for the City of Pittsburgh in charge of the Police, Fire and Building Inspection Bureaus. Previously, Bingler served for three years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh, where he prosecuted federal criminal cases. Following law school, Bingler served for two years as an attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

A graduate of Peabody High School in Pittsbugh, Bingler earned his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University. He then served a three-year tour of duty in the U.S. Navy. Discharged from the Navy as a lieutenant in 1962, he went on to earn his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated third in his class.

Bingler has long been active in local civic and legal activities. Shortly after joining the Thorp firm, Bingler served as Chair of the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter Commission. More recently, he served from 1978 to 1988 as President of the Pittsburgh Civil Service Commission. In addition, Bingler has served as President of the Allegheny County Bar Association, Chair of the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival Board, and Chair of the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He also has served as Chair of the Complex Cases Committee of the Western District of Pennsylvania Civil Justice Reform Advisory Group.

Bingler and his wife, Marsha, have two children and reside in Pittsburgh.

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