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WHEREAS, the Honorable Debra McCloskey Todd, a passionate, accomplished, and dedicated jurist, hails from a blue-collar family in the steel town of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania; and,
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WHEREAS, at the age of 12, Debra decided to become a lawyer, and from the ages of 12 to 18, served as a filing clerk and secretarial assistant-full-time in the summers and part-time during the school year-for attorney James Keller and his wife Beverly, who mentored her and fostered her passion for the law; and,
WHEREAS, Debra’s late parents Harry and Blanche McCloskey-a steelworker and homemaker, respectively-instilled in Debra a strong work ethic and the importance of perseverance; her father was a 30-year member of the United Steelworkers and encouraged her to pursue a career in the law at a time when women were uncommon in this profession; and,
WHEREAS, Debra demonstrated great tenacity and diligence through her education by putting herself through college and law school with academic scholarships, educational loans, and work-study jobs, graduated with honors as a first-generation college student from Chatham College in 1979, and as a member of the Law Review from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1982; and,
WHEREAS, Debra continued her education by earning an LL.M in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004, devoting two summers to this academically rigorous program while managing a full court docket, and ultimately becoming only 1 of 4 judges in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the time to hold this post-doctoral degree; and,
WHEREAS, Debra practiced law in Pittsburgh for 18 years, first as a Litigation Attorney for the U.S. Steel Corporation from 1982 to 1987, then in private practice from 1993 to 1999, where she specialized in civil litigation; and,
WHEREAS, Debra has served the public from the bench for over 22 years, first as a Superior Court judge from 2000 to 2007, then as a justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania since 2008, having retained her term in 2017; and,
WHEREAS, Debra is acclaimed for her tireless work in supporting sexual assault survivors, having conducted extensive research on the subject of child abuse and written a law review article and pieces regarding the protection of the rights and wellbeing of children in Pennsylvania, and was the recipient of the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape Visionary Award in 2016, which recognized her for the significant positive impact she made in the lives of survivors of sexual violence; and,
WHEREAS, Debra continues to uphold the high standard of public service established by her family, as her sister Mary Johnston of York is a retired public school teacher, and her sister Nancy Woods of Monaca is a retired director of Beaver County Adult Literacy; and,
WHEREAS, Debra is a trailblazer for women in the law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and in 2017, was awarded the Susan B. Anthony Award by the Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania for promoting equality in the legal profession; and,
WHEREAS, Debra is only the second woman elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and is today the first female Supreme Court Chief Justice in the 300-year history of this oldest appellate court in the United States of America; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh congratulates and celebrates the Honorable Debra McCloskey Todd for her extraordinary commitment to public service and her historic appointment as Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh declares Friday, January 20, 2023, to be the Honorable Chief Justice Debra McCloskey Todd Day here in our City of Pittsburgh.