Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd addresses Seneca Valley students
JACKSON TWP — The past year has been “monumental for women in government,” state Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd told Seneca Valley Senior High School students during a lecture Monday, March 11.
Todd, a Democrat and Cranberry Township resident, is the first woman to serve as chief justice in the state’s highest court since its inception 300 years ago.
Joined by gifted students, mock trial participants and students in the school’s pre-law career pathway, Todd said both the state Senate and House of Representatives are now, for the first time, headed by women with Republican President Pro Tempore Kim Ward in the state Senate, and Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton in the state House.
She also offered insights into law school, the court system and the ins and outs of being a state judge in the country’s oldest appellate court.
Todd, whose chambers are in Allegheny County, served on the bench for 25 years, previously working as an attorney. She discussed the “mindset shift” needed to make the transition from lawyer to judge, the importance of collaboration among fellow judges when reaching a decision and the court’s relationship with lawyers as well as with the executive branch of government.
Seneca Valley’s mock trial team was just hours out from facing New Brighton at the Butler County Courthouse on Monday, and Todd also asked how students were preparing for the competition.
Sydney Kratsas, a senior and mock attorney for the prosecution, said she reads affidavits at length and is constantly taking notes and reading material in preparation for the trial. Her classmates, as well as mock trial adviser and trial law and criminal justice teacher Brieana Nassan, spoke of her dedication to the team, how Sydney takes notes in classes and always offers up new ideas of how to present the case.
“You’re going to be a good lawyer,” Todd told her.
Another student, Heather Schwartz, who is the head of the YMCA Youth and Government’s judiciary committee in Pennsylvania, said she is running a model campaign for chief justice and asked Todd for advice.
If she wins her mock campaign, it would be Todd’s seat she sits in Harrisburg.
Todd, whose daughter graduated from Seneca Valley School District, encouraged students to ask questions during and after the presentation.
When asked about a case that made an impression on her as a judge, she spoke to her chief judicial assistant, Rhonda Campbell, then answered:
“It would have to be Jordan Brown,” she said, referring to the 2009 homicide case that saw an 11 year old accused of fatally shooting his father’s pregnant fiancée in New Beaver.
Todd said the presiding judge in Lawrence County decided to try Jordan in adult court unless he admitted to the crime, which she said was unconstitutional.
“Everyone, even a child, has a Fifth Amendment right,” she said. “You cannot force someone to admit a crime.”
The state supreme court also ruled there was not sufficient evidence to prove Jordan Brown had killed his father’s fiancée, Todd said.
“What you have to understand about court opinion is, we’re not clairvoyant,” she said. “It is seldom that you have a crime where the suspect is seen stabbing, or shooting, and the evidence is overwhelming. That happens sometimes. But many times, there’s mixed evidence. You can’t say for sure what happened and I still don’t know for sure what happened.”
“But I know the evidence was not sufficient to demonstrate (guilt),” she said.
As students began heading out for ninth period, many of them reflected on Todd’s lecture.
Nassan said she loved that the event was student-centered and emphasized female empowerment.
“It was super empowering,” said junior Jules Acker. “Just hearing how much power she has, and what she values. She was talking about how public defenders are really, really underpaid in Pennsylvania, and they’re working on changing that.”
Kacy Christensen, a senior, said it was meaningful to learn Todd was the first woman to become chief justice.
“I mean, half of our (mock trial) team are women,” she said. “Almost all of us want to go into law school, so I think that we can look to her as a role model. If we go to states for mock trial, looking at her in the Supreme Court chair, that could be us one day, and we know that’s possible.”
“That’s a big deal,” said Lilly Hudac, a junior. “The first woman in 300 years? That’s crazy. I don’t think we realize how impactful that is ... especially looking up to a woman in the justice system.”
