News
Judge Murphy to lead Philadelphia Family Court Division
News Article
November 04, 2014
A supervisory judge with nearly 30 years of experience in family matters was appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to oversee one of the Philadelphia court system’s three main branches.
Philadelphia Judge Margaret T. Murphy was named to the post of administrative judge of the family division of the Court of Common Pleas of the First Judicial District (FJD) in an order issued by the Supreme Court.
Administrative judges direct the assignment of judges and other court personnel and oversee statistical reporting and analysis and technology matters. The administrative judge also sits on the FJD’s Administrative Governing Board and the Supreme Court’s Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee.
The family division, sometimes referred to as family court, is one of three major divisions of the FJD’s Court of Common Pleas. The family division consists of two major branches: the juvenile court and domestic relations.
Judge Murphy has served as supervising judge of domestic relations since 2006, in charge of all aspects of domestic relations cases — divorce, custody, support maters and domestic violence. She will continue her duties there until the appointment as administrative judge becomes effective Dec. 1. Judge Murphy succeeds Judge Kevin M. Dougherty, who has been appointed administrative judge of the trial division.
Before her appointment to the bench in 2000, Judge Murphy served as a master in both divorce and support matters and previously served as a deputy court administrator of domestic relations. In 2012 she received the Domestic Relations Association of Pennsylvania President’s Award for her leadership and promotion of a statewide child support enforcement program. Judge Murphy is a frequent lecturer on the topic of family law for many organizations and law schools, including the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Philadelphia Bar Association and Pennsylvania Bar Institute.
She received her master of law in taxation from Villanova University School of Law, her juris doctorate from Widener University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Chestnut Hill College.
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Media contact: Amy Kelchner, 717-231-3328