A former chief federal judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is closing the book on a 60-plus-year legal career that has included private practice in his hometown of Allentown, 24 years on the federal bench and, most recently, 27 years with Blank Rome LLP.
Former Chief U.S. District Judge Edward N. Cahn, 92, is set to retire effective Saturday, stepping away from the firm where, since joining as of counsel in 1998, he became a mentor and sounding board for his colleagues, all of whom refer to him as "the Chief."
In a recent interview from his home in Allentown — where the federal courthouse was renamed in his honor in 2001 — Cahn told Law360 Pulse that he felt now was the right time, while he still had a spring in his step at 92, to step back from the law.
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He said he would remain affiliated with Blank Rome as a consultant, assisting with cases when attorneys need his advice. The arrangement allows Cahn to avoid making trips from Allentown to the firm's Philadelphia office, he said.
Cahn's limited availability after Feb. 28 will be better than nothing for his Blank Rome colleagues, who say they have come to rely on his expertise, mentorship and sharp legal mind. Retired Chief U.S. District Judge James T. Giles, who succeeded Cahn as the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's chief judge in 1999 and joined Blank Rome in 2018, called his colleague a "deep thinker" who is thorough, collaborative and wants to hear all points of view.
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"At 92, 'The Chief' Steps Back After Storied Pa. Legal Career," by James Boyle was published in Law360 Pulse on February 27, 2026.
