County
Allegheny
Education
I graduated cum laude from The George Washington University with my bachelors degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology.
I then graduated cum laude from Duquesne University School of Law, where I was an editor of the Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board.
Qualifications
Spent 10 years in the Superior & Supreme Court chambers of Christine Donohue, where I drafted over 500 decisions; represented clients in every area of the law that the Superior Court hears and in that Court itself; highly recommended by the ACBA and recommended by the PBA for the Superior Court.
On the bench, a Superior Court Judge must provide a full, fair, & thorough review of every case that comes before her. The role requires a careful balancing of error correction through the appropriate lens & deference to the court below, without serving as a rubberstamp for any interest. A judge must also be decisive and efficient -- litigants should not be required to wait years for a decision on whether they will be free from incarceration, able to continue in their livelihood, or able to obtain custody of their children. Off the bench, a judge can educate the public about Pennsylvania's judicial system, their rights and responsibilities when coming before the courts, & the courts' reciprocal responsibilities to the public.
When providing a full & thorough review of every case, the judge must treat all litigants fairly & equally, regardless of the parties’ race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual preference, disability, or wealth. All persons are entitled to a fair consideration of their case, no matter who they are or what they are alleged to have done, & the writing deciding the appeal should reflect this. A judge should not be impatient or impertinent in her written decision, as this is indicative of a failure to treat those involved & the issues raised with the dignity and respect they deserve. All judges should also participate in implicit bias training to learn what it is, the role it plays in decision making, & tools to combat it.
County
Philadelphia
Education
West Catholic High School and went on to graduate Howard University in Washington DC & received my Law Degree in 2002 from Rutgers University School of Law in NJ.
Qualifications
Major Trials Judge presiding over 1000’s of trials, authoring 100’s of opinions. I handle all human trafficking cases & many of the most serious criminal cases & Grand Jury matters. Certified Child Advocate & as former Exec Dir of the Senate Govt Cmte advised on the constitutionality of legislation
As a sitting Judge, I ensure everyone in my courtroom is treated with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, creed, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. As a member of the Access to Justice Committee, we address this issue by looking at possible barriers and how to remove those barriers to ensure everyone has equal access. As co-chair of the Local Criminal Rules Committee we recommend the qualifications for court appointed attorneys to make sure that indigent people have capable legal representation. We ensure that the local criminal rules are fair and applied equally to all who all who come before our courts.
The Superior Court is an error correcting court & often the last line of defense for the parties involved in a case. When reviewing an appeal It is vital the appellate judge have strong courtroom experience on both sides of the bench to best determine the if the proceedings in the lower court were fair, all parties were heard and the law has been applied fairly regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or economic status. I will ensure equity and fairness in all cases before me, just as I do for all who appear in my current courtroom. Off the bench, I believe judges should be visible in the community. We are public servants and it is our duty to make sure the public understands how the court system functions.
County
Allegheny
Education
Boston University School of Law
J.D., May 1989
Note, Debt-Equity Exchange Programs in Developing Nations.
University Of Pennsylvania
B.A., May 1986
Major: Political Science
Shady Side Academy
H.S., June 1982
Qualifications
Bryan has spent more than 30 years litigating and trying cases, and counseling clients throughout Pennsylvania. Bryan also served for nearly 15 years in leadership roles with the Allegheny County Bar Association and Supreme court IOLTA board.
Access to Justice, to me, means ensuring that everyone who needs to utilize the courts has the ability to do so through legal services and other means designed to help them pursue claims or defenses.
My leadership and hard work in the Allegheny County Bar Association and Allegheny County Bar Foundation led The Pennsylvania Supreme Court to appoint me to The Pennsylvania IOLTA Board, its charitable arm that oversees state funding of legal services to those who cannot afford them. I was appointed chair of the board in 2014-15. In that role, we stretched every dollar to maximize the number of people who received free legal services because they could not afford them.
As a leader in the Bar Association I have championed changes to the rules to prohibit judicial officers from engaging in bias and discrimination. The rules must be reviewed continuously to accommodate changing norms and existing loopholes. Rules governing equity and fairness, however, are ineffective if the judiciary is not educated or educated sufficiently on what those rules mean and how they should be implemented. I am a strong proponent of continuing education programs, particularly on bias, implicit bias and discrimination to ensure that courts are fair for all. I have and will continue to serve on the ACBA Gender Bias subcommittee. I, as a judge would be just as accessible to the practitioners and bar associations across the state.
e.thePeople
e.thePeople