News

Women on the bench in Pennsylvania

News Article

May 31, 2016

It has been 86 years since the first woman, Sara M. Soffel (Allegheny), was appointed as a judge in Pennsylvania. Today, 28 percent of Pennsylvania’s active judges are women who serve the courts at the appellate, trial and minor court levels.

Many years later, Juanita Kidd Stout (Philadelphia), became the first African-American woman elected to a court of record in the U.S., the first to sit on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the first appointed to any state Supreme Court. The majority of the judges serving on the Superior Court (75 percent) and Commonwealth Court (57 percent) are women.

The infographic below highlights data about women on the bench. Download a high-resolution version of the graphic.

PA Courts InfoShare is a bi-weekly product of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) that visually highlights the work of the courts with interesting data and statistics obtained through the judiciary’s case management systems, interactive dashboards and other research. Reproduction is permissible with source cited.

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Media contact:

 Kimberly Bathgate, 717-231-3331