News
Manning Elected President of Allegheny County Court
News Article
December 12, 2013
Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey A. Manning will serve a five-year term as president judge of the Common Pleas Court of the Fifth Judicial District after his unanimous election Friday to the post by the district’s board of judges.
The president judge has general supervisory oversight over the roughly 1,200 court personnel in the judicial district and wide-ranging authority to ensure the procedures and practices necessary for the speedy and proper administration of justice. Allegheny County, with its 43 judges and 46 magisterial district judges, is the second largest court system in Pennsylvania. The district’s board of judges is comprised of all Common Pleas Court judges except seniors.
“I am grateful for the trust of my colleagues and for the opportunity to continue to serve the citizens of Allegheny County,” Judge Manning said. “Our court system is one of government’s most vital institutions.
“Our community places a great deal of trust in the court’s ability to solve their disputes and to receive justice. We touch lives every day more directly and more personally than any other government office. With the help of everyone who serves in our court system, I remain fervently committed to maintaining and building on that trust. Our Fifth Judicial District is recognized statewide and nationally for innovations in providing justice and human services to our citizens. I have every intention of building on these strengths.”
Judge Manning has served as the administrative judge of the criminal division for the last five years. He was first appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Robert P. Casey in 1988. He won election to the bench in 1989, and was retained for two additional 10-year terms in 1999 and 2009. Judge Manning has presided over thousands of criminal cases, including more than 400 jury trials and 21 death penalty cases. In addition, he has presided over more than 50 civil jury trials involving personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice and sexual harassment claims.
Judge Manning is a member of the Supreme Court’s Criminal Procedural Rules Committee and has served as a Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. He also has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Allegheny County Bar Association for 21 years and was the 2002 recipient of its Amram Award for “outstanding contribution to the legal profession, the bar association and the community.” He also has served more than 20 years as an adjunct professor of law for Duquesne University and in 2011 was awarded the Adjunct Professor Award for “outstanding contributions in teaching.”
He succeeds outgoing President Judge Donna Jo McDaniel, who served in the post from 2008 to 2013.