Title
Recognizing and honoring Judge Doris Smith-Ribner for her years of service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the first Black woman elected to a statewide judicial seat on the occasion of Women's History Month.
Body
WHEREAS, Doris Smith-Ribner was born and raised in Cleveland before coming to Pennsylvania to further her education, earning a Bachelor's degree in economics and Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, Smith-Ribner planned to return to Ohio after graduation, but remained in Pennsylvania at the urging of a colleague and mentor, K. Leroy Irvis; and
WHEREAS, The two were colleagues at a law firm in Pittsburgh while Smith-Ribner was still in college; Irvis would later become the first Black Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; and
WHEREAS, Smith-Ribner established a successful career in private practice in Allegheny County and served as the solicitor for the Allegheny County Controller; and
WHEREAS, Her legal prowess led Governor Dick Thornburgh to nominate her to a vacancy on the Common Pleas Court in Allegheny County; and
WHEREAS, After the appointment expired, Smith-Ribner decided to run for a full ten-year term on the bench; and
WHEREAS, Though her first attempt was unsuccessful, Smith-Ribner persevered and two years later in 1987 was elected to the statewide Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court; and
WHEREAS, Smith-Ribner's historic victory marked the first time a Black woman was elected to a statewide judicial seat in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Smith-Ribner was reelected to the bench in 1997 and 2007; she retired in 2009; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her service as Judge, Smith-Ribner served in various capacities at the local, state, and federal levels; and
WHEREAS, Smith-Ribner was instrumental in desegregation cases involving the Philadelphia School District from 1993 to 2009; and
WHEREAS, Smith-Ribner's findings and court orders secured full-day kindergarte...
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