Debra Todd
Chief Justice Debra Todd was born on October 15, 1957 in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. The daughter of a steelworker and homemaker, Todd knew she wanted to be a lawyer by the age of 12. Chief Justice Todd graduated from Lincoln High School (1975), where she sang in the school choir. In 1979, she graduated with […]
Maureen E. Lally-Green
Maureen E. Lally-Green was born in 1949. One of eight siblings, Maureen has had a diverse and storied legal career. She attended Duquesne University for both undergraduate and law school, earning her Juris Doctrate in 1974. After graduation, Lally-Green first worked at a private law in Pittsburgh, then went to Washington D.C. where she was […]
Joan Orie Melvin
Joan Orie Melvin was born in Pittsburgh, attended the University of Notre Dame, and the Duquesne University School of Law (1981). From 1981 to 1985 Melvin engaged in a private law practice, before she was appointed Magistrate for the City of Pittsburgh Municipal Courts, in 1985. As Chief Magistrate, Melvin established Pennsylvania’s first Domestic Violence […]
John L. Musmanno
John L. Musmanno was born in Stowe Township, PA on March 31, 1942. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Jefferson College (1963), graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law (1966), where he was an assistant editor of the Vanderbilt […]
Michael T. Joyce
Judge Michael T. Joyce was born on February 24, 1949 in Pittsburgh. Joyce served in Vietnam as an Intelligence Staff Sergeant from 1967 to 1970. Upon his return, Joyce completed an undergraduate degree from Penn State and received his JD from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1977. Joyce was also a Law Clerk for President […]
J. Michael Eakin
J. Michael Eakin was born on November 18, 1948 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Eakin graduated from Franklin & Marshall College (1970) and earned his Juris Doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law (1975). He was an active member of Pennsylvania’s Army National Guard (28th Division) from 1971-1977. Eakin served Cumberland County as an Assistant District Attorney […]
Thomas G. Saylor
Thomas G. Saylor was born on December 14, 1946 in Meyersdale, Somerset County, PA. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and Juris Doctorate from Columbia University School of Law in 1972. Saylor returned home from New York City and worked as a prosecutor from 1972 to 1982. Before being elected […]
Joseph A. Hudock
Judge Joseph A. Hudock was born on November 21, 1937, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.He received his undergraduate degree from St. Vincent College and continued on to Duquesne University School of Law, where he graduated with a JD in 1962. Hudock spent 4 years in the United States Navy Judge Advocate Generals Corps (1963-1967), during Vietnam, and […]
Kate Ford Elliott
President Judge Emeritus Kate Ford Elliott was born June 8, 1949, in Pittsburgh. She attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.A. in Education (1971). She later earned her M.S. in Education from Duquesne University (1973) and her J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law (1978). She was elected Judge of the […]
John T.J. Kelly, Jr.
Judge Kelly was born on December 29, 1930 in Glenside, a suburb of Philadelphia. He remained a lifelong Glenside resident and attended St. Luke School. LaSalle High School, and LaSalle University. Before obtaining his undergraduate degree in 1956, Judge Kelly served 2 years in the United States Army. Judge Kelly received his JD from Creighton […]