WHEREAS, judges have immense power. A judge’s ruling directly impacts the lives of individuals, families and the community. Most people directly impacted by a judge’s ruling do not have the necessary resources to challenge a judge in any capacity; and

WHEREAS, in jurisdictions in which a judgeship is only obtained by appointment, there can be lack of diversity of the members of the bench. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania selects most judges by election and a small number by appointment; and

WHEREAS, the Philadelphia Bar Association’s recommendations are taken into consideration in both judicial elections and judicial appointments; and

WHEREAS, the Philadelphia Bar Association is an organization comprised of more than 9,000 attorneys licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Bar Association creates invaluable trainings for members of the legal profession, including paraprofessionals, lawyers and judges; and

WHEREAS, the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention (the “Commission”) creates investigative teams to thoroughly investigate each judicial candidate. The investigative team, which is comprised of four lawyers and one non-lawyer, submits a detailed report that includes interviews from at least twenty members of the community who are familiar with the judicial candidate’s experience, reputation and character. The Commission, which is comprised of lawyers, judges and some non-lawyers from the community, interviews the judicial candidate, after reviewing the report. After the interview, the Commission votes on whether or not to recommend the judicial candidate be elected as a judge. The Commission votes “Not Recommended,” “Recommended” or “Highly Recommended.” The result of this vote is shared with the public as the official recommendation of the Philadelphia Bar Association; and

WHEREAS, the community places an immense amount of trust in the judicial recommendations issued by the Philadelphia Bar Association. This is proven by the past two judicial elections in which judicial candidates who were recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association were elected by the city of Philadelphia to serve as a judge; and

WHEREAS, according to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts in the year 2024, 8057 new Protection From Abuse petitions were filed in Philadelphia County; and

WHEREAS, domestic violence is inseparable from Criminal Law and Family Law; and

WHEREAS, domestic violence permeates all aspects of the justice system regardless of whether or not domestic violence is one of the stated issues before the Court; and

WHEREAS, the importance of competency in domestic violence for all legal professionals, especially judges, cannot be over-stated; and

WHEREAS, competency in domestic violence is essential to ensure the safety of all Philadelphians interacting with the justice system. This includes competency in trauma and ongoing safety planning; and

WHEREAS, competent domestic violence advocates who work in courtrooms that hear domestic violence matters, can provide insight and experience that are invaluable to the Commission; and

WHEREAS, for this reason, it is imperative to the Philadelphia community that at least one member of the Commission be a domestic violence attorney or a domestic violence court advocate; and

WHEREAS, the Board approved the addition of a seat on the Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention of at least one domestic violence court advocate or domestic violence attorney at its May 21, 2026 meeting; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Governors proposes to add a new Section 7.3.2.9 to the Association’s Bylaws to add a domestic violence attorney or a domestic violence court advocate as a member of the Commission.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Governors, pursuant to Section 12.1.1.1 of the Bylaws, approves the following amendment to the Bylaws to add the following new Section 7.3.2.9 for submission to the Voting Members in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.1 of the Bylaws:

7.3.2.9 One person, who is a domestic violence advocate or a Pennsylvania-licensed attorney who is a regular practitioner of domestic violence law or related legal issues, shall be appointed by the Chancellor to serve a term of two (2) years. Any person appointed pursuant to this Section must be a Member of the Association. The person who shall be appointed to the Commission pursuant to this Section shall be limited to four (4) consecutive two (2)-year terms and shall be eligible for reappointment to the Commission after a lapse of twenty-three (23) months from the expiration of that person’s prior term. Except with respect to the initial appointment, the Chancellor, on or before January 15 of each even calendar year, shall appoint, with the approval of the Board, the successor of the person serving on the Commission pursuant to this Section whose term expired on December 31 of the previous year. With respect to the initial appointment pursuant to this Section, the Chancellor shall make the initial appointment within sixty (60) days after the adoption of this Section; provided that the person so appointed shall serve only until December 31, 2027.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the text of the proposed amendment shall be published in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.1.2 of the Bylaws.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board requests that the Chancellor call a special meeting of the Members pursuant to Section 4.2 of the Bylaws to vote on the proposed amendment, and that such special meeting of the Members be held in conjunction with the Association’s 2026 Bench Bar Conference.

PHILADELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Adopted: June 18, 2026