District Judge Sue Haggerty hangs up her robe in her office in Saxonburg on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

SAXONBURG — Sue Haggerty has seen magisterial district court from almost every perspective during the last 51 years.

In 1972, as a 20-year-old from Portersville, Haggerty landed a job as a floater, working as a clerk in the offices of four of the then-five district judges in the county.

After about a year, she became the administrative assistant for District Judge James Galbreath in Saxonburg. After he retried, she became the administrative assistant for his successor, District Judge Frank Wise.

Wise stepped down before his term expired, and Haggerty was appointed to replace him in 1998. In 2000, she began what became the first her four six-year terms in the office after winning the seat in the 1999 election.