Judges of the Superior Court
PRESIDENT JUDGE JOSEPH A. DEL SOLE |
Judge Joseph A. Del Sole was born on November 16, 1940, in Pittsburgh. He has a
Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology
(now Carnegie Mellon University); an LL.B. from Duquesne University School of Law; and an
L.L.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He is a member of the Century Club
of Distinguished Alumni of Duquesne University and received the 1988 President’s
Award from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association.
Judge Del Sole co-authored "The Demise of Fair Trade in Pennsylvania" which appeared in the Duquesne University Law Review and is the author of "Appellate Review in a Sentencing Guidelines Jurisdiction: The Pennsylvania Experience." 31 Duq. L. Rev. 479 (1993). He is a member of the Supreme Court Statewide Steering Committee on Computer Automation and is Chairman of the Common Pleas Court Implementation Project, designing an automation system for the trial courts of Pennsylvania. Further, he was instrumental in spearheading the Superior Court’s computerization and statistical development programs. He was a member of the former Judicial Inquiry and Review Board. He is the first Chairman of the Judicial Conduct Board.
He was appointed to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in 1978 and elected to a full term in 1979. He was elected to the Superior Court in 1983, and retained for a second term in 1993. Judge Del Sole’s chambers are in Allegheny County.
PRESIDENT JUDGE EMERITUS STEPHEN J. McEWEN, JR. |
Judge Stephen J. McEwen, Jr. commenced service on the Superior Court in 1981 after appointment by Governor Dick Thornburgh, was elected to a full ten-year term in November, 1981, was retained for a further ten-year term in the general election of November, 1991, and was elected President Judge by the members of the Superior Court for a five-year term commencing January, 1996.
While a judge on the Superior Court, he was twice appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Board of Judicial Inquiry and Review, and in 1996 was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to the Court of Judicial Discipline and elected President Judge by the members of that Court.
Judge McEwen pursued his study of the law at St. Joseph’s College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and, in 1986, was awarded the degree of Master of Laws by the University of Virginia Law School.
Judge McEwen, a native of Upper Darby, was an active trial lawyer during twenty-three years of private practice, and was District Attorney of Delaware County from 1967 through 1976. He served as General Counsel for the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and, for ten years commencing in 1975, was a Professor of Trial Advocacy at Villanova University Law School. He has lectured at various law schools and universities, participated in Pennsylvania Bar Institute seminars, published articles in the St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary, the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, and Policy, the Dickinson Law Review, and the Philadelphia Legal Intelligencer, and authored in 1997 Not Even Dicta, a book which seeks to provide thought-provoking judicial/personal lessons in the law.
JUDGE JUSTIN MORRIS JOHNSON |
Judge Justin Morris Johnson was appointed to the Superior Court
in 1980 and elected to a ten-year term in 1985. His chambers are in Pittsburgh.
Judge Johnson was born at Wilkinsburg on August 19, 1933. He received his A.B. and J.D. degrees from the University of Chicago and has attended the Graduate Program for Judges at the University of Virginia. His active military duty, 1954-59, and his reserve duty 1963-73, including two active duty flights into Vietnam during 1971, were with the United States Air Force as an aircraft commander.
In March, 1989, Judge Johnson completed twenty years service on the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners, the last six as its chairman. He served on the Board of Managers of the National Conference of Bar Examiners from 1984 to 1989. From 1977 until his appointment to the bench, he was a member of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission. Judge Johnson sat upon the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from 1981 to 1989. He completed a six-year term on the Advisory Committee on the Constitution of that national, churchwide body in June, 1996. In August, 1993, Judge Johnson was appointed to a two-year term on the newly-established Court of Judicial Discipline by then Acting Governor Mark S. Singel.
Judge Johnson served for five years as an Adjunct Professor, Duquesne University School of Law. He has served as chairman of Hearing Committee 4.11, Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and is a Past President and Director of Neighborhood Legal Services Association (Pittsburgh). He is an active member of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Homer S. Brown Law Association and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
JUDGE JOSEPH A. HUDOCK |
Judge Joseph A. Hudock was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania on November 21, 1937. He was educated at St. Vincent College (B.A.) and Duquesne University School of Law (J.D.). He served in the United States Navy Judge Advocate Generals Corps from 1963 to 1967, and then practiced law in Greensburg for 11 years.
He was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County and served for 12 years before being elected to the Superior Court in November, 1989.
He has been actively involved for many years with the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, Rotary Club, Boy Scouts, Community Nursing Service, and the United Way of Central Westmoreland, serving at one time as campaign manager and president of the latter.
He has been a member of the Regional Planning Council of the Governor’s Justice Commission, the Latrobe Area Task Force of the Diocese of Greensburg, and the Alumni Council of St. Vincent College. In 1987 he was awarded the St. Vincent College "Alumnus of Distinction Award". He presently is a member of the Editorial Board of "The Practical Litigator."
Judge Hudock is married to the former Rita Giegerich, and they and their four children, Joseph, Jr., Ann, Daniel and Mary, reside in Unity Township, Westmoreland County. His chambers are in Greensburg.
JUDGE KATE FORD ELLIOTT |
Judge Kate Ford Elliott was born
June 8, 1949, in Pittsburgh, the daughter of Dr. John M. and Loretto O’Toole Ford.
She attended the University of Pittsburgh, where, in 1971, she earned a B.A. in Education
(cum laude);. Duquesne University, M.S. in Education, 1973; Duquesne University School of
Law, Evening Division, J.D. 1978;
A member of the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations, Judge Ford Elliott is also Past Chairperson, Allegheny County Appellate Practice Committee, a member of the ABA Judicial Administration Division, and Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Futures Commission on Justice in the 21st Century established by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a member of the National Association of Women Judges, the Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania, the American Inn of Court, Pittsburgh Chapter, the Matrimonial American Inn of Court, and the American Judicature Society. She has served on Executive Board of ABA Committee of Appellate Staff Attorneys and is a frequent lecturer on issues of Appellate Practice and Procedure;
Judge Ford Elliott was employed as a reading specialist by the Pittsburgh Board of Education from 1971 to 1977. She served as a Law Clerk to Senior Judge Harry M. Montgomery, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1977-1980; Administrative Assistant to then-President Judge William F. Cercone, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1980-1982; Chief Staff Attorney, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1982-1988; and as a lawyer with the firm Kirkpatrick and Lockhart, 1988-1989. She was elected Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in November, 1989.
JUDGE MICHAEL T. JOYCE |
Judge Michael T. Joyce was born Feb.
24, 1949 in Pittsburgh. He received his B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University in
1973 and was awarded a J.D. from the Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1977. From 1967 to 1970
Michael Joyce served in the U.S. Army. After graduating from Army Intelligence School, he
attended the Defense Language Institute from January 1968 to January 1969 where he learned
to read, write and speak the three main dialects of Vietnamese. Judge Joyce served 13
months in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Division. He attained the rank of Staff Sergeant
at the age of 20 and was awarded the Bronze Star medal and two Army Commendation Medals.
He was a Presidential Law Clerk in The White House in 1975, and maintained a private
practice from 1977-85. He was appointed judge, Erie County Court of Common Pleas in July
1985 after winning both the Republican and Democratic primaries. He was then elected to a
ten-year term in November 1985, and retained for an additional term in November 1995. He
was elected a judge of the Superior Court in November 1997. Judge Joyce is a member of the
Pennsylvania Trial Judges Association, American Judicature Society, American Judges
Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Erie County Bar Association, Penn State Alumni
Association, the Domestic Relations Association of Pennsylvania, Vietnam Veterans of
America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of Pennsylvania, American Legion,
Millcreek Youth Athletic Association and served as an Explorer leader, Boy Scouts of
America. Judge Joyce is a licensed SCUBA diving instructor certified by both the
Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) and the National Association of Dive
Instructors (NAUI) and a member of the Erie County Sheriff’s Scuba Rescue and
Recovery Dive Team. He is also a private pilot and a member of the Airplane Owners and
Pilots Association (AOPA).
Judge Joyce has two sons, Timothy, a 1999 graduate of the University of Notre Dame who is currently a naval submarine officer, and Robert, who is currently a senior at the University of Notre Dame.
JUDGE CORREALE F. STEVENS |
Judge Correale F. Stevens, born in Hazleton, was graduated from
Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and from Dickinson School of
Law with a J.D. While in law school, he was an associate editor of the Dickinson Law
Review.
Judge Stevens was engaged in the private practice of law, served as Hazleton City Solicitor and Hazleton City Authority Solicitor. He was named Outstanding Young Pennsylvanian by the state Jaycee organization and served on the executive board of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association.
In 1980, Judge Stevens was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 1982, 1984 and 1986. In 1987 he was elected District Attorney of Luzerne County, and in 1991 he was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County and elected to a full term that same year. In November 1997, Judge Stevens was elected to the Superior Court.
JUDGE JOHN L. MUSMANNO |
Judge John L. Musmanno was born March 31, 1942, in McKees Rocks. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Jefferson College in 1963, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1966, where he was assistant editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review.
Judge Musmanno is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association; an honorary master, American Inns of Court, Pittsburgh chapter; member, ISDA, Sons of Italy, and the Italian Heritage Society.
He received the President's Award, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association in 1991, and the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County award in 1993.
He maintained a private law practice, 1966-81, was elected district justice, 1970-81 (specially assigned city court magistrate 1970-73); elected judge, Allegheny Court of Common Pleas, 1982-90; and was the administrative judge, civil division, Allegheny Court of Common Pleas, 1990-97. In November 1997, he was elected to the Superior Court.
JUDGE JOAN ORIE MELVIN |
Judge Joan Orie Melvin was born in
Pittsburgh. She attended the University of Notre Dame, where she received a B.A. in
Economics in 1978, and Duquesne University School of Law, where she was awarded a J.D. in
1981. From 1981to1985 Judge Orie Melvin served as corporate counsel and was engaged in a
private law practice, concentrating in civil litigation before she was appointed
Magistrate City of Pittsburgh Municipal Courts, in 1985. She was then named Chief
Magistrate in 1987 for the City of Pittsburgh Municipal Courts. In this position Judge
Orie Melvin established Pennsylvania’s first Domestic Violence Court.
In 1990, Judge Orie Melvin was appointed Judge to a vacancy on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and later was elected to a full term in 1991. There, she served in the civil, criminal and family divisions.
Judge Orie Melvin is a member of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Allegheny County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Executive Women's Council of Greater Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Inns of Court. She is past President of the Allegheny Count Prison Board. She has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Vincentian Home and as a member of the United Way Community Problem Solving Troubled Youth Committee. Judge Orie Melvin was the recipient of Carlow College's Woman of Spirit Award; Duquesne University School of Law Woman's Law Society Woman of the Year; and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh - A Tribute to Women Leadership Award in Government/Public & Civic Service. She was elected to the Superior Court in November 1997.
JUDGE MAUREEN LALLY-GREEN |
The Judge was born in Sharpsville, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. She is the first of eight children of Charlotte and Francis L. Lally, M.D. (now deceased). Following graduation from Kennedy Christian High School, she majored in mathematics and minored in English at Duquesne University and graduated with a degree in Secondary Education (1971). She then graduated from Duquesne University's School of Law (1974) and is said to be the first female law school graduate from Mercer County.
Judge Lally-Green's early career spanned work as an associate with a private law firm in Pittsburgh, and as counsel to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Washington, D.C,) and, then, as both litigation and corporate counsel to Westinghouse Electric Corporation (now CBS). In 1983, she joined the faculty of Duquesne University School of Law where she is a Professor of Law (on a leave of absence). For the past 10 years, the Judge also served as a consultant to Mr. Chief Justice John P. Flaherty, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and earlier with former Justice Nicholas P. Papadakos.
The Judge has been active in both her profession and her community. She has served through appointment on, among other committees or Boards: the Criminal Procedural Rules Committee of the Supreme Court; Hearing Committee of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court; the Governor's Committee to select nominees for Judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County; a Butler County Committee studying the County's court systems; the Zoning Hearing Board of Cranberry Township; Pennsylvania Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession; and, as a Duquesne University representative on a Diocese Committee to study Ex Corde Ecciesiae. She has also served through election as a Board Member or Officer of: the Allegheny County Bar Association since 1992; Partners of the Americas since 1990; and the Duquesne undergraduate and law alumni associations. In addition, she has authored or coauthored numerous articles which are published in various law reviews in the United States and in Rome, Italy.
She has been recognized for her achievements a number of ways, including; Woman of the Year (Duquesne Women Law Students); Outstanding Alumnus Award (Kennedy Christian High School); Who's Who in American Law; Who's Who Among American Women; Who's Who in Emerging Leaders; and, Fellow in International Development, W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
JUDGE DEBRA M. TODD |
Judge Todd has been a lecturer and panelist for continuing legal education programs on trial procedure and practice, as well as an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
From 1989 through 1999, Judge Todd served as a Court-Appointed Special Master for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. The Judge presently serves as a board member of the Finnegan Foundation, a foundation established to provide internships in Pennsylvania government to outstanding accredited college and university students. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession and the American Judicature Society.
Judge Todd was elected to the Superior Court in November 1999, and commenced service on the Superior Court in January 2000. Her chambers are in Pittsburgh.
JUDGE RICHARD B. KLEIN |
Judge
Richard B. Klein was born in Philadelphia, the son of the late Philadelphia Orphans’
Court Judge Charles Klein and Rosalie Benson Klein. He received his BA from Amherst
College in 1961, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude. He graduated with
honors from Harvard Law School in 1964.
Judge Klein served for 28 years as a trial judge in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County until his election to the Superior Court in 2001. He was the youngest judge in the history of Pennsylvania when he first assumed the bench. Prior to assuming the bench, he was in private practice and served as a Special Assistant Attorney General.
He has been active in numerous education and justice improvement projects. He serves as vice-chair of the Pennsylvania Futures Commission on Justice in the Twenty-First Century. He served as an adjunct Lecturer in Law at the Temple University School of Law for fifteen years, teaching Trial Advocacy and Legal Writing. Judge Klein founded and co-chairs the Pennsylvania Bar Association “Plain English” committee. He serves in the House of Delegates of the Pennsylvania Bar and is on its ADR committee. He formed and was the initial chair of “LUG-PC” of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Lawyers User Group for Personal Computing. He remains active on the Philadelphia Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and its State Civil Committee. At the American Bar Association level, he served on the Ad Hoc Committee for State Justice Initiatives and chaired the Futures and Technology Committees of the National Conference of State Trial Judges. He chaired the Jury Selection Committee of the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.
Judge Klein is co-author of the West Book, Trial Communication Skills, written with Julius Fast, author of the original Body Language book. He has written and lectured widely, on topics such as Mediation, Technology, Trial Techniques, Legal Writing, Ethics, etc.
Judge Klein is also known for his avocation as a jazz drummer and bandleader.
JUDGE JOHN T. BENDER |
Judge John T. Bender
was born on November 6, 1948 in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. In 1970 he received a Bachelor of
Arts degree from the School of Journalism of the Pennsylvania State University. He then
attended the Institute for Paralegal Training in Philadelphia and worked as a paralegal at
the Pittsburgh law firm of Reed Smith Shaw & McClay. In 1976 he was awarded a J.D.
degree from Duquesne University Law School.
Judge Bender served as a law clerk to President Judge Emeritus William F. Cercone while attending law school. He later was employed as a law clerk to former Justice Rolf Larson. Judge Bender also served as an Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney before entering into the private practice of law as a sole practitioner and as a partner in a small law firm. For over 25 years Judge Bender primarily represented individuals in criminal and civil proceedings. In 1997 Judge Bender was elected to the position of District Justice in Magisterial District 05-2-04. In addition to his normal duties as District Justice, he was specially assigned to handle insurance fraud cases from the State Police Task Force, the City of Pittsburgh Auto Theft Task Force and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office special prosecuting units dealing with auto theft and insurance fraud. He is a member of the Allegheny County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.
Judge Bender and his wife Michele live with their three children, Tom, Kathleen, and Maggie in Fox Chapel, Allegheny County.
Judge John T. Bender was elected to a ten-year term on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in November 2001. His chambers are located in Pittsburgh.
JUDGE MARY JANE BOWES |
Judge Mary Jane Bowes was born on July 18, 1954, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in 1976 and her J.D.
from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1979.
After graduation from law school, she served as Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Harry Montgomery and the Honorable John P. Hester, both of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, and to Chief Justice Henry X. O'Brien of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. From 1986 to 1998, she was engaged in the private practice of law. In 1994, Judge Bowes founded her own firm, specializing in construction and commercial litigation. In 1998, she joined an environmental remediation company as corporate counsel.
Judge Bowes is a member of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations, where she served on the Professional Ethics Committee for four years, and is a former Board member of the Allegheny County Finance and Development Commission, which comprises four separate municipal authorities. She was elected to membership in the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County in 1996. Judge Bowes has served as arbitrator in numerous matters in both federal and state court arbitration programs as well as in private arbitrations.
Judge Bowes is a member of the Board of Trustees of Duquesne University, the DePaul Institute for hearing-impaired children, the St. Thomas More Society, and the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. She is past member of the Board of Trustees of St. Clair Memorial Hospital and Past-President of the Board of the Parental Stress Center, which treats neglected and abused children, the St. Thomas More Society, and the Georgetown University Alumni Club of Pittsburgh. She was honored by Governor Tom Ridge with the Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women in Business Award in 1997.
Judge Bowes is a member of the Pastoral Council at St. Louise de Marillac. She is married to Dr. Ronald Bowes and is the mother of three children, Brendan, Bridget, and Conor. The family resides in Whitehall Borough.
Judge Bowes was elected to a ten-year term on the Superior Court in November, 2001. Her chambers are located in Pittsburgh.
JUDGE ROBERT A. GRACI |
Judge Graci was born in Philadelphia on August 12, 1952, to Paul and Anne Frances Graci, the second of three sons. He grew up in Havertown, Delaware County. After graduating from Msgr. Bonner High School, he attended West Chester State College, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in three and one-half years. He took the first step in realizing a life long dream of becoming a lawyer when he enrolled in the University of Miami School of Law, where he was awarded his Juris Doctor with honors in 1977.
Though he has experience on a corporate legal staff and a small private firm, Judge Graci spent most of his career in public service. He has served as a staff attorney for state and federal law enforcement agencies, an assistant district attorney, special counsel to a legislative committee, and a deputy attorney general. He headed the Attorney General’s criminal appeals section from 1984 until 2002. In 1997, he was promoted from Chief Deputy Attorney General to the newly created position of Assistant Executive Deputy Attorney General of the Criminal Law Division for Law and Appeals. As a deputy attorney general, Judge Graci argued cases in all of the State and federal appellate courts of the Commonwealth, including the Supreme Court of the United States.
Judge Graci was twice appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Criminal Procedural Rules Committee. He is a member of the American, Pennsylvania and Florida Bar Associations, as well as the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation. He co-authored a treatise on death penalty litigation – "Prosecution of a Death Penalty Case in Pennsylvania" – that is used by prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges throughout the state and country. He also co-authored articles on the state’s wiretapping and corrupt organizations. He is a regular lecturer for law-related groups, including the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Institute, and the State Conference of Trial Judges. Three Attorneys General have commended him "for outstanding service to the people of the Commonwealth." In 2002, he received a special achievement award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association for his service as Chair of the Association’s Criminal Law Section, a position he currently holds.
In 2001, the PBA gave Judge Graci its "Highly Recommended" rating for a position on the Superior Court. Governor Mark Schweiker appointed him to a vacancy on the Superior Court on March 11, 2002. On June 28, 2002, the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment. He was sworn in on July 19, 2002.
After his first year in law school, Bob married his high school sweetheart, Shawn Montgomery, a secondary school mathematics teacher. They have two daughters, Petra, 22, and Caitlin, 19. They reside in Cumberland County.
PRESIDENT JUDGE EMERITUS WILLIAM F. CERCONE |
Judge William F. Cercone was born in Stowe Township, Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1936, and his LL.B. from Duquesne Law School in 1941. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy with the amphibious forces in the Pacific.
Judge Cercone has served as Assistant District Attorney of Allegheny County, Special Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General, and attorney for the U.S. Army Engineers in Pennsylvania and Ohio. He is past president of the Pennsylvania Judicial Board of Inquiry and Review.
Judge Cercone served on the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County from 1956-68. He was elected to the Superior Court in 1968 and became President Judge on January 2, 1979, whereupon he arranged for the American Judicature Society study of the work of the Superior Court. Upon completion of study, the report stated, "The Pennsylvania Superior Court has for some years been one of the most overworked appellate courts in America in terms of caseload and number of written opinions per judges per year…it is evident that the judges of the court have had as much work to do, and have evidently done as much work as human beings reasonably could be expected to do." As a result of Judge Cercone’s effort, the people of Pennsylvania approved, by referendum and the legislature by law, an increase in the court of eight additional members.
He was elected to the Superior Court in 1968 and became President Judge on January 2, 1979. He has been a senior judge since his retirement in 1983. He was honored by the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Western Pennsylvania "for achieving undelayed justice through sympathetic understanding, distinguished ability and tireless dedication to the eternal principles of right." Judge Cercone’s chambers are located in Pittsburgh.
JUDGE JOHN P. HESTER |
Judge John P. Hester is a native of McKeesport, Allegheny County. He received his B.A. from Duquesne University and his J.D. from the Law School of the University of Pittsburgh.
Judge Hester has lectured at the Institute of Legal Medicine at the University of Rome, and at the International Institute of Comparative Law in Rome. He has served as a trustee of Mercy Hospital and the Mercy Hospital Foundation. He is the recipient of the Saint Thomas More Award, and was selected by Duquesne University as one of the University’s one hundred outstanding graduates. He was an original member of the Allegheny County Hospital Financing Authority where he served as Vice President. He is President of the Stephen Foster Community Center and the C.Y.A. He is Chairman of the Allegheny District Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Judge Hester served on the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County from 1960 to 1977 and as administrative judge of that court during 1976 and 1977. Pror to ascending the bench, he had been a Deputy Attorney General. He was elected to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in 1977 and served the Commonwealth in that capacity until his retirement in 1983 when he was designated as a senior judge by the Supreme Court. Judge Hester’s chambers are in Pittsburgh.
JUDGE JOHN G. BROSKY |
Judge John G. Brosky was born on August 4, 1920. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and received his LL.B and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh Law School.
Judge Brosky serves on the Board of Visitors of the Law School, University of Pittsburgh; the Family Law Section and Professionalism Committee, Pennsylvania Bar Association; Appellate Practice Committee, Allegheny County Bar Association, and is a Fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Judge Brosky is Past President of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, former faculty member of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association; among his awards, he received the George Washington Honor Medal from Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in 1990 and he was honored as the 1989 recipient of the St. Thomas More Award given by the legal profession of Allegheny County and the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Man of the Year, Kosciuszko Foundation, 1991. He sits as a Judge for Moot Court competition at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University. He was chosen 1994 Man of the Year, Law and Government, by Vectors/Pittsburgh; 1995 Man of the Year, Air Force Assn., Pa., and; 1995 Pride in Pennsylvania Award by Commissioners of Allegheny County. He received an Honorary Doctor of Public Service Degree in 1996 from La Roche College.
Judge Brosky is named in Two Thousand Notable Americans, World Biographical Hall of Fame, Who’s Who in American Law, International, Who’s Who of Intellectuals; Men of Achievement, and Man of the Year 1990, American Biographic Institution.
Judge Brosky served in the South Pacific during World War II. He is now retired as a Major General in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. He and his wife, Rose, have three children; John, a patent attorney in Alexandria, Virginia; David, an attorney in Pittsburgh; and, a daughter, Carol, Domestic Relations Counselor, Family Division, Common Pleas Court, Allegheny County.
Judge Brosky was appointed to the Allegheny County Court in 1956 and elected to a full term in 1957. He was appointed to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in 1960, and elected to a full term in 1961. He was reelected in 1971. Judge Brosky served as Administrative Judge of the Family Division beginning in 1970 until he was elected to the Superior Court in 1980. His chambers are in Pittsburgh.
JUDGE PETER PAUL OLSZEWSKI |
Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, graduated from Wyoming Seminary, Lafayette College, and St. John’s University School of Law. He is a member of Pi Delta Epsilon (honorary collegiate journalism fraternity). Instructor, King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, "Constitutional Limitations on Evidence in Criminal Cases" - 1969-70. During World War II, Judge Olszewski served with the United States Army in the China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations.
Judge Peter Paul Olszewski was a trial lawyer for fifteen years before he was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County, where he served as a trial judge for sixteen years. In 1983, Judge Olszewski was elected to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Judge Olszewski has served on the boards of trustees of College Misericordia and the Wilkes-Barre Campus of the Pennsylvania State University. He is an honorary Director of St. John’s University Law School Alumni Association. He has received the Liberty Under Law Award, Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Distinguished Law and Justice Award of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Pennsylvania and the Distinguished Law and Justice Award of County and State Detectives Association of Pennsylvania. In addition, Judge Olszewski serves on the Interfaith Council of Wyoming Valley. He is also active in the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association, and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is also an Honorary Lifetime Member, Frank Albert State Police Lodge.
JUSTICE FRANK J. MONTEMURO, JR. |
Justice Frank J. Montemuro, Jr., was born on October 27, 1925, in Philadelphia. He attended Temple University and received his LL.B. from Duke University Law School. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy with the amphibious forces in the Pacific.
Justice Montemuro is currently in his 32nd year on the bench. He was appointed to the trial bench in 1964 and successfully ran for a ten-year term in 1965. In 1975, he was reelected to a second ten-year term, during which he was elected the Administrative Judge of Philadelphia \s twenty-judge Family Court Division in 1968 and reelected for additional five-year terms in 1973 and 1978. He was appointed to the Superior Court in 1980 and was elected to a full ten-year term as the nominee of both parties in 1983.
Justice Montemuro was appointed to chair the Philadelphia Regional Planning Council, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. He has also served in the Joint State Government Commission Task Force and on the Philadelphia Judicial Council where he chaired the Sub-Committee on Judicial Administration. He was a member of the Governor’s Advisory Committee, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974. He has served as Chairman of the Domestic Relations Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, and served a four-year term on the Judicial Inquiry and Review Board.
Justice Montemuro served as both State and National President of the Order Sons of Italy in America. He was thrice decorated by the President of the Republic of Italy and in 1982 he was awarded the Papal Honor of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II.
Justice Montemuro authored the "Doctrine of Exhaustion of Union Remedies" for the Duke Bar Journal and, "The Family--One Hundred Years of Neglect" for the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare.
The Justice’s chambers are in the Aramark Tower in Philadelphia.
On September 18, 1992, Justice Montemuro was appointed by Governor Robert Casey to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. On November 16, 1992, Justice Montemuro was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, and on November 19, 1992, was sworn in as Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania by Chief Justice Robert N.C. Nix, Jr.
On January 3, 1994, Justice Montemuro was appointed as Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and served on that capacity until January, 1996. Justice Montemuro is currently a Senior Judge on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
On July 26, 1996, Justice Montemuro was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as Special Master in Pennsylvania State Association of County Commissioners, et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al., 681 A. 2d 699 (Pa. 1996).
JUDGE PHYLLIS W. BECK |
Since 1981 Judge Phyllis W. Beck has been a member of the Superior Court. Initially appointed by Governor Thornburgh in 1981, she was elected statewide to a ten-year term in November 1983 and retained in 1993. She is the first woman to serve on the Court.
In July 1987 Judge Beck was appointed by Governor Casey to head a special 23 person Commission on Judicial Reform. The Commission, which presented its report to the Governor in January 1988, recommended major structural reform in Pennsylvania’s judicial system.
Judge Beck assumed the judgeship after serving as Vice-Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School where she also taught. Prior to that time she was a faculty member at Temple Law Center. Her route to the bench included a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, Magna Cum Laude, and a law degree in 1967 from Temple Law School, night division, where she was first in her class.
Prior to her academic career, Judge Beck engaged in the general practice of law. She is the author of many scholarly articles. She is a member of the American Law Institute, National Association of Women Judges, an overseer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She is president of the Foundation for Cognitive Therapy and Chair of the Independence Foundation. She is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a consultor at Villanova Law School, and a visitor at Temple School of Law. She is a board member of the Philadelphia Free Library, the American Judicature Society, serves on the Commission on Women in the Profession of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Joint State Government Commission on Domestic Relations. She also acts as an advisor to the Center on Professionalism at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She won the Herbert Harley Award of the American Judicature Society.
She is married to Dr. Aaron T. Beck. They have four children and eight grandchildren.
JUDGE PATRICK R. TAMILIA |
Judge Patrick R. Tamilia was born in Pittsburgh. He attended Duquesne University, where he received his B.S., did graduate work, and received his J.D. from the School of Law. Judge Tamilia served with the U.S. Marine Corps, and received a commission as an officer in the U.S. Army Artillery.
He has served as Chairman of the Family Law Sections of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations and the Juvenile Judges section of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges; member of the Supreme Court Domestic Relations Committee and the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare, Task Force on Mental Health. Judge Tamilia was instrumental in the creation of the Neuropsychiatric Assessment Unit for Violent Children, the Parental Stress Center, and Infant Abuse Agency; Booth Parenting Program for unwed mothers and numerous other treatment programs for delinquent and dependent children. He has authored numerous articles on juvenile delinquency, mental health and family court.
Judge Tamilia is the Professor of Family Law, Duquesne University School of Law, and a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Comprehensive Education. Among his numerous awards are the Duquesne University Distinguished Alumnus Award, College of Arts and Science; Charter Membership in the Century Club of Distinguished Alumni of Duquesne University; the Columbus 500 Distinguished Citizen Award; and the ACBA Juvenile Justice Award, 1991. He is chairman of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Task Force of the Allegheny County 2001 Project. In August, 1996, Judge Tamilia was elected to a second term as National President of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. He is also Board Secretary of the Abraxas Foundation, a Board Member of the Program for Female Offenders and Counselor of the Matrimonial American Inn of Court.
Judge Tamilia was elected to the Court of Common Pleas in 1969. In 1983 he was elected to a ten-year term on the Superior Court and won retention in 1993. Judge Tamilia’s chambers are in Pittsburgh.
JUDGE JOHN T. J. KELLY, JR. |
Judge John T. J. Kelly, Jr., is a graduate of LaSalle University (B.S., 1956) and Creighton Law School (LL.B., 1961). He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and Nebraska.
Before coming to the bench, Judge Kelly served as Deputy Secretary, of Labor and Industry (1980-1985); trial lawyer, Philadelphia Public Defenders Association (l972-l978); Assistant to the Lieutenant Governor of Pa., Assistant to the President of the Pa. Constitutional Convention (1967-1971); and Assistant Attorney General, Chief Counsel Department of Public Welfare (1963-1966). He has also been a private attorney, political consultant, and campaign director.
Judge Kelly is a member of The Pennsylvania Society, The Brehon Society, YMBA Society, American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, the Nebraska Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, and Knights of Columbus. He was honorably discharged from the United States Army (1952-1954).
Judge Kelly was elected to the Superior Court as the nominee of both the Republicans and the Democrats in 1985 and was retained for a second term in 1995. He was appointed to a four year term on the Judicial Inquiry and Review Board commencing on December 9, 1988. His chambers are in Philadelphia.
JUDGE ZORAN POPOVICH |
Judge Zoran Popovich was born on February 4, 1931, in Akron, Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1954 and his LL.B. from the University of Pittsburgh Law School in 1957. He was on active duty with the United States Air Force from 1951-53. Judge Popovich was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County in 1973. In 1980, he was appointed to the Superior Court, and he was elected to a full ten-year term in 1985.
JUDGE JAMES R. CAVANAUGH |
Judge James R. Cavanaugh was born on August 26, 1931 in Philadelphia. He
received his Bachelor of Science degree from St. Joseph’s College and his J.D. from
the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Judge Cavanaugh has served as chairman of the advisory committee of the Prisoner’s Family Welfare Association and as director of the Counseling or Referral Agency. Judge Cavanaugh was a director of the Philadelphia Bicentennial Committee. In addition, Judge Cavanaugh has served as Chairman and founding member of the Advisory Board of the Self-Help program, is a member of the Board of Managers of the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute and served as President of the St. Joseph’s University Law Alumni.
The Judge has also served on the Governor’s Justice Commission Regional Board, the Pennsylvania Board of Judicial Inquiry and Review, and the executive committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges.
Judge Cavanaugh became a commissioned judge on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 1969, and was appointed to the Superior Court in August of 1979. He was elected to the Superior Court in November of the same year. In April, 1991, Judge Cavanaugh moved his chambers from Philadelphia to West Chester in Chester County, Pa. In West Chester he is a member of the Italian Social Club, Monsignor Henry C. Schuyler Knights of Columbus Council 1333, Rotary International and The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge No. 853. Judge Cavanaugh was retained in the retention election of November, 1989.