Newcomer was nominated by President
Richard Nixon on November 17, 1971, to a seat on the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania vacated by Judge
Charles William Kraft Jr. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on November 23, 1971, and received his commission on November 30, 1971. He assumed
senior status on January 19, 1988, but maintained a full case load. During his career as a federal judge, Newcomer presided over a number of mob and
public corruption cases. In 1980, he ended
Topps Chewing Gum's exclusive right to sell
baseball cards, allowing the
Fleer Corporation to compete in the market. In 1985, Newcomer criticized the
Philadelphia Police Department for indiscriminately arresting a number Spanish-speaking people after an officer was killed, calling the arrests "unlawful" and "disgraceful". ==References==