Pennsylvania chief justice breaks barriers
Debra Todd has always known she would practice law.
As the daughter of a homemaker and a Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp. steelworker, the Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, native was a first-generation college student whose parents insisted she pursue higher education.
“There was never any question in their minds that I would go on to have a career,” Todd said.
At 12, she worked as a file clerk for a law firm owned by her neighbors.
“When I stepped into that law office, I just fell in love with the law,” Todd said. “I thought, ‘This is it.’ ”
In 2022, decades after that foundational summer, Todd made history as the first woman to become chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the court’s 300-year history. She was formally installed in January 2023.
Before becoming the court’s topranking jurist, Todd was elected to the high court in 2007. The University of Pittsburgh Law School graduate worked as a lawyer for 18 years before joining the state Superior Court in 1999.
Todd is Pennsylvania’s USA TODAY Woman of the Year honoree.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: What is your proudest moment?
Answer: My proudest professional moment is certainly becoming the first female chief justice in Pennsylvania for a court that is over 300 years old. It was truly the pinnacle for me.
From a personal standpoint, adopting our daughter was the high point of my life. Our daughter was in an orphanage in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and we adopted her when she was 3 years old. Raising my daughter and having that experience fortified the faith in God I already had. I think it’s just a miracle to meet a child so perfect for you on the other side of the world.
Who is your most influential mentor?
I have had a lot of legal mentors, but my primary mentors were my parents. They never had the opportunity to have an education, and for a steelworker to recognize that his three daughters had talent … There was just never any question that we were going to succeed, because they told us we were.
How have you overcome adversity? I’m an optimist, so I don’t identify very much adversity that I’ve faced. Certainly, I came through the legal profession during a time when it was not all that common for women to be lawyers. Now, over half of our law schools are women and there have been so many trailblazers. I never felt discouraged. I guess if in the early days of my career someone looked at me differently because I was a young woman, I just decided I would prove them wrong.
What are the most rewarding aspects of your career?
Former Chief Justice Max Baer used to say this is the greatest job in the world, because where else do you get to go to work every day and just do the right thing? That is a truly rewarding part of being a judge. Obviously, my guide is the Constitution and the laws of Pennsylvania, but I bring my conscience and background with me, too, and I truly try every day to do the right thing.
Do you have any mantras?
I pray a lot. I try to keep myself pumped up, because there are discouraging days or days where things don’t go your way. You have to tell yourself it’s not about you, it’s about the people you’re serving. You just put one foot in front of the other and do the best you can.
What advice would you give your younger self ?
Don’t worry so much.
What is your definition of courage? Standing tall and making the right decision even when the public is against you, or the legislative/executive branch is against you. You cannot, as a judge, make decisions based on public opinion or popularity. It’s standing up for what you know is right.