News

Judge Kate Ford Elliott Chosen Superior Court of Pennsylvania President Judge

December 13, 2005

HARRISBURG, December 14, 2005 — The Superior Court of Pennsylvania today announced the election of Judge Kate Ford Elliott as its president judge. Judge Ford Elliott becomes the first woman to lead an appellate court in Pennsylvania, and the first to hold the position in the Superior Court’s 110-year history. Judge Ford Elliott succeeds Judge Joseph A. Del Sole whose five-year term as president judge expires in January. Judge Ford Elliott begins her 17th year on the Superior Court bench in January. As president, Judge Ford Elliott will oversee all administrative matters of the court including budget, administrative offices, scheduling, special sessions, education and bench-bar interaction. “It is an honor and a privilege to be chosen by my colleagues as president judge,” Judge Ford Elliott said. “With their help, I am committed to maintaining this court’s excellent reputation for the efficient and fair administration of justice for the citizens of Pennsylvania.” Judge Ford Elliott was first elected to the Superior Court in 1989, and she is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University School of Law. Prior to her service on the bench, the judge held the position of Chief Staff Attorney to the court. The 15-member Superior Court is one of two intermediate appellate courts in Pennsylvania, hearing criminal, family and civil appeals from the state’s 60 Courts of Common Pleas. Court members elect a president judge to a five-year term. Superior Court judges generally hear cases in three-member panels that are chosen by the president judge to sit in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg or Philadelphia. The court sits en banc — a convening of nine of the judges — three or four times a year to hear appeals of selected cases.