Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo, who presided over courtrooms in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for years, passed away Wednesday morning. He was 81. Caputo’s death was announced by Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner in a memorandum on Wednesday.

“Judge Caputo was a ‘judge’s judge’ — a strong, direct, impartial and erudite jurist — who instinctively knew how to cut to the heart of complex legal issues, prompting their resolution,” Conner said. Conner said Caputo made “extraordinary contributions” to not only the Wilkes-Barre area but to the nation itself.