District judge retiring after 25 years on bench
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 retired, 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.
Now, at age 70, Haggerty has decided not to run for a fifth term as the judge of District Court 50-3-03, which serves Penn, Middlesex, Clinton, Jefferson, Winfield and Buffalo townships and Saxonburg. Her term expires at the end of the year, and her commission expires on Jan. 2, 2024.
“You know when you’re ready. I’m ready to pass the torch, the gavel,” Haggerty said Monday. “It’s been a wonderful career. I’m humbled and grateful that I had the opportunity to do this.”
Haggerty said she has applied to the state Supreme Court to become a senior district judge.
She said she has heard all sorts of cases, including those involving murder, during her time behind the bench.
“It’s hard to sum up 51 years here,” Haggerty said. “I worked 26 years as the administrative assistant and the last 25 years as the judge.”
She is one of only four women who have served as a district judge in the county. Preceding her was District Judge Alberta Hindman and now-Common Pleas Court Judge Kelley Streib. Evans City District Judge Amy Marcinkiewicz was elected in 2021 and took office in 2022.
As a floater, Haggerty said she worked for district judges George Stevenson in Slippery Rock, John Banyay in Evans City, Hindman in Chicora, and Galbreath. There were five district courts at that time. The number increased to seven in 2004.
During her time as an administrative assistant, Haggerty said she got to know many people in the community and believes she earned their respect. In anticipation of running for office, she said she took the district judge test and received her certification from the state Supreme Court in 1996.
“When I ran for the fist time, I felt qualified,” Haggerty said.
Before district courts started using computers in 1996, staff entered every complaint received by hand at each office in color-coded books, she said. Traffic citations were logged in a green book, non-traffic citations in a blue book, and criminal and civil complaints in a red book.
The advent of video arraignment improved safety for police officers and improved efficiency, she said.
Before video technology was adapted for court use, police would call the on-call district judge to arraign a suspect after normal business hours, she said. The judge would then drive from home to his or her office to conduct the arraignment. Police had to take the suspect to the office and then to the county prison.
“We used to get calls at all hours,” Haggerty said.
Video arraignment allows the on-call judge to arraign a suspect from home using a computer or cellphone while the suspect is in the prison. Haggerty said former Butler County President Judge Thomas Doerr was instrumental in establishing the county’s video arraignment system.
“Technology has been very good for police departments,” Haggerty said.
During arraignments or hearings at her office, she said she tries to keep in mind advice her parents gave her: “Don’t forget where you came from, and try to treat people the way you want to be treated.”
She said she has learned to “read” people who appear in her court.
“People coming to your court are coming maybe only once in their lives. Good people come here who just make a mistake. I look for intent as opposed to mistakes. I can tell who is lying and who is being honest,” Haggerty said.
She said the job is interesting, but it requires preparation. In addition to the prerequisite testing and certification, magisterial district judges attend mandatory training once a year to receive updates on case law and court decisions, she said.
Haggerty said she will miss working with her staff, but is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, Frank Ballina. She said she will remain involved in the community after she steps down.
“I owe my right and left arms to my staff and my husband. To be successful, you have to be surrounded by the right people. I’m fortunate to have a good staff,” Haggerty said.
She said her husband is general manager of BelleFlex Technologies in Ford City, Armstrong County, and she has traveled with him on business trips to 26 countries.
