Edward N. Cahn

Edward Norman Cahn (born 1933) is a former United States federal judge.

Cahn was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He attended Lehigh University, where he played basketball and set a record by becoming the first Lehigh student to score 1,000 points; he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in 1955. Cahn continued to Yale Law School, where he earned an LL.B. in 1958. After graduation from law school, he entered private practice in Allentown, and began service as a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Corporal. He left the service in 1964.

On November 18, 1974, President Gerald Ford appointed Cahn a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1974, and received his commission on December 20, 1974. Cahn became chief judge in 1993. He retired on December 31, 1998, and is now of counsel to Blank Rome.

On August 20, 2001, the Edward N. Cahn Federal Building and United States Courthouse was renamed in his honor.

He was appointed and approved as Chapter 11 case trustee for the SCO Group on August 25, 2009.

On August 6, 2010, Judge Cahn was appointed hearing officer to the Delaware River Basin Commission to mediate the controversy surrounding Marcellus Shale gas development in the Delaware River watershed. His tenure in this position raised controversy when investigative journalist Nora Eisenberg described conflicts of interest created by the role of Cahn's law firm Blank Rome as an advocate for the industry trade association, Marcellus Shale Coalition.

Eisenberg's investigation describes:
 * On August 6, 2010, the same day Judge Cahn was recommended as hearing officer by Delaware Governor-Elect Jack Markell, Blank Rome partner Lynn McKay co-published with Marcellus Shale Coalition president and executive director Kathryn Klaber a Q&A article on the Marcellus Shale for the webzine of an industry group, the Women's Council on Energy and the Environment (WCCE).


 * On October 10, 2010, Blank Rome sent internal email to employees stating that there were opportunities for the firm in the Marcellus Shale and that the firm was pursuing them. Judge Cahn wrote back saying he was involved in a hearing about the Marcellus.


 * On January 18, 2011, Judge Cahn emailed DRBC secretary and assistant general counsel Pam Bush, stating that he had just seen Blank Rome's associate membership in the Marcellus Shale Coalition listed on the firm's Web site. He expressed his embarrassment and regret and his willingness to recuse himself from further involvement with the DRBC hearing process should that be requested.