News

Women on the Bench in Pennsylvania

News Article

March 04, 2021

In recognition of March as National Women’s History Month, the Pennsylvania Courts take a look at the history of women judges in the Commonwealth as well as those women currently serving on the bench.

It has been 91 years since the first woman, Sara M. Soffel (Allegheny County), served as a judge in Pennsylvania. Today, 30 percent of Pennsylvania’s active judges are women.

There are currently three women serving on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The majority of the judges now serving on the Superior Court (71 percent) and Commonwealth Court (67 percent) are women. Additionally, 13 women currently serve as president judges in the Courts of Common Pleas.

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

PA Courts InfoShare is a monthly 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 encouraged with source cited.

 

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Media contact:   Kim Bathgate, 717-231-3331