John L. Musmanno is a senior judge of the

Pennsylvania Superior Court The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts (the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania). It is based in Harrisburg. Jurisdiction The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and most ...

. Musmanno was born in

Stowe Township, Pennsylvania Stowe Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census. It is located in the Sto-Rox School District, which serves both Stowe Township and the neighboring borough of McKees Ro ...

. He graduated from

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

in 1963, where he was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

and won the Henry Wilson Temple History Prize. He graduated from

Vanderbilt University Law School Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as Vanderbilt Law School or VLS) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law School has consiste ...

in 1966, where he was an assistant editor of the

Vanderbilt Law Review The ''Vanderbilt Law Review'' is the flagship academic journal of Vanderbilt University Law School. The law review was founded in 1947 and is published six times per year. In 2018, it was ranked #11 among general-topic law reviews by the Washingt ...

. Between the years 1966 and 1981, he was in private practice. He was elected district justice in 1970, serving until he was elected to the

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...

Court of Common Pleas in 1981. He was elected to the

in 1997. During the campaign, the ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' profiled a number of Allegheny County judges who were neglecting their judicial duties while running for higher office, but singled Musmanno out as a judge who maintained a full case load during the campaign. He won retention in 2007. During the election, the

Pennsylvania Bar Association The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in Pennsylvania, United States. The association offers membership benefits, including publications, practice support, networking, and continuing ed ...

endorsed him, describing him as "highly regarded for his intelligence, courteousness, fairness, judicial temperament and professionalism." He is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In 2008, he was awarded the W. Edward Sell Achievement in Law Award from Washington & Jefferson College. He took senior status in late December 2012/early January 2013.

References

1942 births Living people People from Stowe Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Democrats Judges of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Pennsylvania district justices Pennsylvania lawyers Vanderbilt University Law School alumni Washington & Jefferson College alumni {{US-state-judge-stub

See also

References