Q&A: Candidates for Judge of Common Pleas
Democrats
Kelly Eckel
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
Court of Common Pleas judges preside over a wide range of civil and criminal matters, from inception to conclusion. These judges should be experienced, impartial, and independent. They should be accomplished and smart, and have the ability to gain knowledge quickly about the facts and the law. They may not prejudge parties based on the parties’ background, representation, or affiliation — and must ensure that the parties who appear in court feel respected and that the law is being administered fairly and evenly.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
I am a partner at Duane Morris LLP, where I have for 22 years represented a wide range of clients in a broad range of civil matters. As an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, I preside regularly over cases from pre-trial stage to trial, resolve disputes, and issue rulings and awards. I earned my bachelor’s degree from Harvard and my J.D. from Temple. I worked for two federal judges during and after law school, and have lived, studied, and worked throughout the nation and abroad for more than 50 years. These experiences have profoundly impacted how I practice law and adjudicate matters, and have given me a deep appreciation for the diversity of our community and the need to listen with an open mind to all who come before the court.
Stephanie Klein
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
The Court of Common Pleas in Delaware County is the trial court that hears family, juvenile, criminal, major civil cases and Orphans’ Court cases. Court of Common Pleas judges represent the face of our courts and must serve as models of fairness, civility and impartiality so that litigants will trust its processes and outcomes.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
I understand the importance of that responsibility. As Magisterial District Judge for Swarthmore, Media and Nether Providence, my caseload included criminal, civil, landlord-tenant, traffic, cases involving juveniles like underage drinking and truancy and emergency protection from abuse orders for victims of domestic violence. Before becoming a judge, I worked ten years as a Legal Aid attorney for the poor. I ran Chester Legal Aid’s volunteer lawyer program and represented clients in housing, family and public benefits cases at hearings and in federal and state court. As a judge, a Legal Aid attorney, in my current work as an arbitrator and a mediator, and my work in the community, I have gained a reputation for fairness, civility, impartiality and empathy. I look forward to bringing my experience and these qualities to the Court to promote justice in our county court.
Rick Lowe
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
A judge’s first obligation is to ensure that everyone who appears in court is heard, understood, and treated fairly under the law. In Delco, no Democrat has ever been elected judge in the Court of Common Pleas. This has created a perception that you need an insider to get justice. Accurate or not, that corrodes the Court’s reputation and — ultimately — our democracy. My slate-mates and I hope that if four Democrats are elected, we can improve that negative perception.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
A lawyer for over 36 years, and a mediator and an arbitrator for more than ten, I have been named a Super Lawyer fifteen times, and have received national recognition from my peers. In addition to my professional accomplishments, I have been deeply influenced by my pro bono work for indigent clients, by my time as Mayor of Swarthmore, and most recently by my time as a volunteer with the “lifers” at Graterford prison. I have met many incarcerated men who have not given up on themselves, and who work every day to improve their community. Their example has inspired me to see and appreciate the humanity in everyone I meet — precisely what I would hope to do in my courtroom.
Nusrat Rashid
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
The main role of a Common Pleas judge is to hold all parties accountable to the law and ensure that the law is fairly and consistently applied to all litigants. The specific role of a judge can differ by case. In criminal court, a judge is generally an independent neutral presiding over proceedings, maintaining order and making evidentiary rulings. In a family or treatment court, with a focus on rehabilitative problem-solving, a judge should consider the treatment related impact of their decisions on the litigants, and may support a “therapeutic-oriented response” to the litigants’ underlying disputes.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
As a trial lawyer with over two decades of civil, criminal and family courtroom experience in dispute resolution, trauma informed case planning, crisis intervention, and an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing diverse communities, I have unique insight into the effects of judicial decision-making. Skilled in courtroom advocacy, with hundreds of hearing and trials throughout my career, I have firsthand knowledge of Delaware County court rules and procedures. Possessing the judicial temperament necessary to communicate effectively with sensitivity and empathy, I am certain that I have the experience and skills to fairly and impartially administrate justice for all the citizens of Delaware County.
Republicans
Beth Naughton Beck
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
A County Judge has the responsibility to resolve issues objectively, apply the law as written and not bring his/her own political agenda into the courtroom.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
I have worked as a civil trial attorney for 27 years and believe that my experience in courtrooms across the Commonwealth uniquely qualifies me to continue my public service as a trial judge. I believe everyone involved in the judicial system deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. In order to do so, that individual must have an understanding and respect for the diverse cultures in our community. My history of community service has given me the opportunity to work with individuals from varied socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. I believe this gives me a unique perspective and ability to approach all individuals and issues with which I am faced with integrity, fairness and respect.
George B. Dawson
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
Having practiced law for 20 years, almost exclusively in the Delaware County courts, my understanding of the role of a common pleas court judge is to preside over the proceedings and see that the matters go forward in an orderly fashion. In doing so, the judge needs to follow the law and apply it to the facts appropriately. Additionally, they must be an impartial referee that treats the parties, lawyers, witnesses, and staff in their courtroom with respect.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
I have over 20 years of legal experience practicing law in Delaware County. I have represented clients in family court, civil court, orphan’s court, juvenile court and both sides of the criminal court system in Delaware County. I believe this experience, combined with my temperament, common sense, integrity, and communication skills would make me success in the role of a common pleas court judge.
Steve Gerber
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
Common Pleas judges preside over litigation matters. Instead of serving as advocates for a side, judges serve as the umpires whose job is to call the balls and strikes.
If a person finds themselves in court whether as the accused or the victim of a crime; because they were in a car accident; or because their marriage is breaking up; life has thrown them a curve ball. These are not the sort of events folks plan on. One wants a judge who will listen, allow the parties to have their say, allow the lawyers to advocate for their clients, and then follow the law by calling the balls and strikes.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
My experience, including numerous multi-week trials, combined with my public service, qualifies me to serve as a judge.
I’ve been rated well-qualified by a plurality of the Delaware County Bar Association who responded substantively to the Bar Plebiscite. I’m rated “AV,” the highest rating, by the lawyer rating service Martindale-Hubbell. I’m a member of Cozen O’Connor where my practice is focused on property loss matters. I’m an experienced civil trial lawyer and litigator. I tried a case before a jury this past August for nearly two weeks. I’m also experienced at alternative dispute resolution.
Wendy Roberts
What is your understanding of the role of a Delaware County Common Pleas Court judge?
The sworn duty of a Common Pleas Judge is to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Doing such while creating an impartial, respectful, compassionate courtroom in which each voice has the opportunity to be heard should be the role of a Common Pleas Judge. Educating herself with regard to the varied options available within the system and fashioning a reasonable, effective resolution within the constraints of the law is what a responsible jurist would undertake while serving as a Common Pleas Judge.
What specific strength and experience do you bring to the job that will enable you to be successful in that role?
I will bring the experiences I currently employ as a sitting Delaware County Magisterial District Judge to running an efficient yet thorough courtroom as a Common Pleas Judge. My two decades of legal practice, during which I appeared in courtrooms across Southeastern Pennsylvania thousands of times, informed my administration of my local courtroom and my judicial comportment. I am a regular person raising my family in Delaware County, and have accepted the responsibility of using my common sense, legal acumen, and compassionate manner to resolve and sit in judgment over issues occurring within our community. These skills are the same that I will use as a Delaware County Common Pleas Judge.
