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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 Penns...
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