Palumbi sworn in as Butler County Common Pleas Court judge
Maura Palumbi was sworn in Friday as a Butler County Common Pleas Court judge during an inauguration ceremony in the county courthouse.
A resident of Middlesex Township and Mars Area High School graduate, Palumbi becomes only the third woman to serve on the county’s Common Pleas Court bench since it was established on March 12, 1800, said President Judge S. Micheal Yeager.
“I am honored to be sworn in as the newest Butler County Common Pleas Court judge and vow to uphold the ethics, professionalism, integrity, demeanor and patience necessary of a Common Pleas judge,” Palumbi said. “I will listen. I will make tough decisions to render fair results. And I very much look forward to serving Butler County.”
State legislators, county commissioners, other county elected officials, county employees and Palumbi’s family attended the ceremony. Her father, attorney Michael Sippey, presented her with her robe.
Palumbi, who is running for the judge’s position in November, has been appointed to the role by Gov. Josh Shapiro as of Monday, July 3.
Following a state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Palumbi received a unanimous vote in favor of the nomination. Subsequently, the state Senate also unanimously approved the nomination.
She is filling the unexpired term of Judge William Shaffer, which was left vacant following his retirement in January 2022, and will expire in 2024. Shaffer now serves as a senior judge.
Palumbi received both the Republican and Democratic nominations in the primary election, and her name will appear on the ballot in the general election in November for the new judicial term to begin January 2024.
Yeager said Palumbi will serve in the court’s criminal division. She worked as an assistant public defender since 2016.
During the ceremony, Palumbi thanked judges and attorneys who supported her during her career and her family and others who supported her during her campaign.
Among those who she thanked was Judge Kelley Streib, who administered the oath of office and for whom Palumbi worked as a law clerk after receiving her law degree from Duquesne University in 2009.
“I cannot really express how proud of you I am today,” Streib said. The five other judges also gave remarks welcoming Palumbi to the bench.
Attorney Ronald Elliott, president of the Butler County Bar Association, said Palumbi will be an “excellent addition to a strong Butler County bench.”
After working as a law clerk, Palumbi owned and operated her own law practice as a general practitioner with a focus on family law.
Outside of the courtroom, Palumbi serves on the Lighthouse Foundation board of directors and recently served on the Butler YMCA board of managers.
She and her husband, Bobby, a local attorney, have two daughters.
