Judge John Patrick Fullam died in March at age 96. A judge for more than 50 years, including nearly 45 on the federal bench, he was among the longest serving federal judges in history, said his family in a notice.

Fullam was born Dec. 10, 1921, in the family farmhouse in Gardenville, Bucks County. He enlisted in the Navy upon his graduation from Villanova University in the spring of 1942, at the age of 20. Upon his discharge from the Navy in April 1946 with the rank of lieutenant senior grade, Fullam attended Harvard Law School on the GI Bill. He joined the Bristol law firm of Eastburn, Begley and Fullam. His private practice included representing clients before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and service as court-appointed counsel in a death penalty case (resulting in a life sentence), among many other matters.

In February 1960, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, and was thereafter elected to a full 10-year term. Nominated by President Lyndon Johnson, Fullam was confirmed as a U.S. district court judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in August 1966.

During his judgeship, Fullam held that the Philadelphia police were “totally unjustified” in conducting mass arrests of hippies in public parks during the summer of 1967, based solely on their perceived status or appearance. To like effect, the judge ruled that the Philadelphia police had acted unconstitutionally by raiding Black Panther Party offices without probable cause in the summer of 1970. Though ultimately overturned by a divided Supreme Court, in Rizzo v. Goode, Fullam's 1973 decision established civilian complaint procedures and other due process protections.

In another decision, arising from the FBI's “Abscam” sting operation Fullam presided over the jury trial of two Philadelphia councilmen and others being prosecuted for public corruption. Fullam concluded that the defendants had been entrapped by improper governmental conduct amounting to a violation of due process. He was also the first judge–according to a press release—to preside over the trial and conviction of mob boss, Nicodemo “Little Nicky” Scarfo, imposing a 14-year prison sentence following Scarfo's conviction on fraud and racketeering charges.

In June 1970, Fullam was assigned the bankruptcy case for the Penn Central Transportation Co. and he approved the company's plan of reorganization in 1978. Fullam was appointed by the chief justice and served for many years on the Committee on Codes of Conduct of the U.S. Judicial Conference, advising fellow federal judges on issues of judicial ethics. After serving as chief judge of the Eastern District from 1986-1990, Fullam assumed senior status, continuing to carry a full caseload for another two decades, until fully retiring from the bench in 2011, at the age of 89.

Fullam is survived by daughters, Nancy and Sally (Joseph Gyourko), sons Thomas “T.J.” (Claudia Fieo) and Jeffrey (Melissa Mandrell), a sister-in-law and four grandchildren.

A memorial service is set to be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wrightstown Friends Meeting on 535 Durham Road in Newtown. A scholarship fund in Fullam and his wife's memory has been established at Bucks County Community College. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the John and Alice Fullam Memorial Scholarship Fund,” c/o The Bucks County Community College Foundation, 275 Swamp Road, Newtown, Pennsylvania, 18940.