2 attorneys with Chester County ties confirmed by Senate
Two attorneys with connections to Chester County have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to sit as judges on the federal bench.
The confirmations of John Murphy and Kelley Hodge were announced by U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., along with those of Philadelphia Common Pleas Judges Mia Perez and Kai Scott.
All will serve life terms as U.S. District Judges for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
“Judge Mia Perez’s impressive work as a former public defender and one of
the youngest judges ever elected to the Court of Common Pleas demonstrates her bona fide credentials, as does Judge Kai Scott’s tenure as a youth counselor and more than two decades in public service,” Casey said in a joint release with Toomey, who will retire from the Senate at the end of the month.
“Kelley Hodge brings her legacy as the first Black woman to serve as Philadelphia’s District Attorney and school safety expert to the bench,” he added. “And John Murphy brings a unique perspective to the federal bench as a well-respected and experienced intellectual property attorney. These Pennsylvanians
have dedicated their lives to serving the people of the Commonwealth and I am confident that they will bring integrity and honor to their new positions.”
Murphy is a resident of Easttown and the husband of Katharine Murphy, a former member of the Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board. A Republican, he has been active in community organizations for some time and is a partner at the Philadelphia law firm of Baker & Hostetler, where he has worked since 2007 and has also been an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers Law School since 2014.
He is the son-in-law of Stephen Aichele and former county Commissioner Carol
Aichele, who also served as the state Secretary of State from 2011 to 2015.
Although a resident of Philadelphia, Hodge was part of an effort in the Owen J. Roberts School District to provide reform measures in the wake of an outcry by residents, parents and students in the wake of the arrest of a former Owen J. Roberts High School teacher who was ultimately convicted of sexually inappropriate behavior with a female student at the school in 2020.
Hodge, a former Philadelphia District Attorney who now is a partner at Fox Rothschild in Philadelphia, laid out a series of recommendations for the district on how to handle future incidents, including letting students and parents know what resources were available to file complaints against staff and teachers.
“I’m pleased the Senate has confirmed four well-qualified nominees to serve as federal district court judges for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. John Murphy, Kelley Hodge, Kai Scott, and Mia Perez will bring with them to the bench the experience, intellect, and integrity necessary to excel as federal judges. I appreciate their willingness to serve in this important role in our constitutional system,” said Toomey.
For over a decade, Senators
Casey and Toomey have worked together to recommend Federal District Court candidates to the White House with the experience, intellect, and temperament necessary to serve the Commonwealth. During this time, the Senate has confirmed 33 of the Senators’ recommendations to serve in Pennsylvania, which is more Federal District Court judges than all but two states—California and New York.
Murphy was confirmed Wednesday by a vote of 63 to 28, while Hodge was confirmed Tuesday by a 52-44 margin.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.