Phila Bar: Recommended

Jessica Brown, Esq., is a highly articulate attorney who, if elected, will judge with compassion. She cares deeply about the law and about our court system. She has dedicated her career to making people’s lives better and believes she can do that from the bench. She is prepared to be a judge, having a varied career as a litigator with a variety of experience. She currently is Of Counsel with Willig, Williams & Davidson in the civil arena, representing labor unions and individual clients. Before that, she worked for ten and a half years with the U.S. Dept. of Labor in its Solicitor's Office, representing the government in civil enforcement litigation. She started her career at the Defender Association of Philadelphia as a trial attorney, practicing exclusively criminal law. While at the Defender Association, she appeared in both municipal and common pleas court, handling thousands of cases, and was a member of the Juvenile Special Defense Unit, representing children charged as adults and in other high-profile juvenile matters. Her career has always been one of advocacy through court or court-like proceedings. As for reforming the court system, she will focus on challenging the “business as usual” attitude by elevating alternatives that can start to address our biased judicial system. Regarding bail, alternatives to traditional bail are a much better way to go because people are presumed innocent and individuals should not be discriminated against simply because they are poor. She believes we all, particularly white people, have failed to live up to the principles of fairness and equal justice for all. She will treat the litigants before her with dignity, and all will be given as much opportunity as possible to be heard.

Phila Bar: Recommended

Judge Joel is a judge in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas—the First Judicial District, he was appointed by Gov. Wolf in 2022. He is currently assigned to the Trial Division and the Criminal Division and presides over all aspects of criminal matters that come before him. Judge Joel is even tempered, prepared for every hearing, applies the law fairly, is extremely intelligent and experienced. He is suited for his role and really wants to continue in it. Prior to taking the bench, he had over 30 years of experience. He was a Deputy General Counsel for the Governor for five years. In that role, he represented and counseled the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf, Cabinet Members, Executive Branch Agencies, and Executive Level Public Officials on a variety of matters, including constitutional challenges to voting rights and related election challenges and issues, COVID litigation relating to efforts taken by Governor Wolf in response to the pandemic, and other matters. Through his work, he gained extensive knowledge and background in cases and issues that face Courts of Common Pleas including appellate law that would be binding on issues that come before him.

Joel had previously worked for Josh Shapiro at the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, most recently serving as a Chief Deputy Attorney General in the PA’s AG Office, and as Chief of its Litigation Section. In this role, he was part of the leadership team for the Civil Law Division, responsible for the management and direction of the Section. Prior to that, Joel was in private practice responsible for all facets of complex federal and state court litigation (he built a large environmental and land use practice representing municipalities, citizen groups and individuals trying to combat and stop unwanted and destructive development). Judge Joel is also an adjunct professor of law at the Commonwealth Law School (Widener), and he has been called on to train numerous other attorneys.

In his view, cash bail when used to keep someone in jail merely because the individual cannot pay is simply wrong. (Usually bail has been decided before the individual comes before him.) Regarding “restorative justice,” his interview response mirrored his response to the Philadelphia Bar Association Questionnaire: “I make sure that I am fair, even, respectful, and engaged on every case and with every person. I want litigants and attorneys to leave my room (regardless of the outcome) with the knowledge that they have been heard and understood and respected. I ultimately make decisions based on the facts that have been presented and the law (case law, statute, constitutional provision) that is applicable and binding on me.” Diversity in the court and on his staff is key; and he seeks staff who will challenge him. His entire legal career has been in service: his work has always been geared toward protecting rights of people, and it has directly benefited all Pennsylvanians including Philadelphians. Ultimately, Joel won’t rock the system, but will continue on his path started in September 2022, to be fair and judicious, efficient, civil, intelligent and thoughtful.

Phila Bar: Highly Recommended

Chesley Lightsey is a deeply intelligent and thoughtful attorney who has spent most of her career in the Philadelphia District Attorney (DA)’s office. A teacher prior to attending law school, she was with the DA’s office from 2005-2011, and again from 2015 – 2022. From 2011 to 2015 she took a break from legal practice, working at Temple Law in Career Services. Although Lightsey has spent time in most of the key areas of practice in the DA’s office, most of her time was spent in the homicide unit, of which she was chief from 2020-2022. The vast majority of Lightsey’s career has focused on cases where children were victims. In addition, after the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional juvenile life sentences without possibility of parole, Lightsey led the DA’s office’s effort in resentencing on 300 of such cases.

In an interview, Lightsey said, “I think that the folks who will be drawn to my campaign more are those who recognize that violent crime is an issue in the city, and that we need to take that seriously, but also understand that there are diversion programs and ways to work with folks who are committing smaller petty crimes — it benefits all of us to look towards rehabilitation and what that can look like such that this person doesn’t come back in front of a court system” In at least one reported instance, Lightsey, with the support of the DA, convinced a magistrate to hold an attempted murder defendant without bail, over the objection of the bail commissioner who had set bail at $350K. Discussing the resentencing of juvenile lifers, Lightsey stated, “It was in re-sentencing the more than 300 “lifers” that I was given the chance to understand the childhoods of these individuals to understand how they became a person capable of murder, and to also see how they had matured and grown during their time in prison. The vast majority of these defendants had spent well over 20 years in prison when they were re-sentenced.”

Phila Bar: Recommended

Brian McLaughlin has been a Judge in Court of Common Pleas – Juvenile Division since July 2022, when he was appointed by Governor Wolf. Prior to that, he was in private practice from 2003 to 2022, handling criminal and juvenile defense cases, as well as Family Court dependency matters, and representation of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge Five and its members in criminal matters, federal and local investigations/grand jury matters, Internal Affairs investigations, departmental disciplinary hearings, and civil cases. McLaughlin was a police officer in Cheltenham Township from 1991 to 1998.

McLaughlin is doing a good job on the bench. His practice experience has given him a deep appreciation for the needs of the litigants who appear before him, and he strives to be fair and patient.

Phila Bar: Highly Recommended

Judge Padova was appointed judge by Governor Wolf to the Court of Common Pleas in 2022 and currently sits in the Criminal Division. He has been highly recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association and been endorsed by City Committee. He has also been endorsed by Nikhil Saval, Isaiah Thomas, Kathy Gilmore-Richardson, and Speaker Joanna McClinton, among others.

In his Open Wards interview, Judge Padova impressed us with his compassion, thoughtfulness, and digging to the roots of problems in attempts to find more humane solutions in the areas of bail and sentencing. In his courtroom, Judge Padova implements diversionary and re-entry programs during sentencing phases and even modifies bail. He stated, “You have to get to the root of some of these problems. If it's a mental condition, then you want to direct that individual to mental treatment. If a person has a drug condition, then you want to direct them to a diversionary program or a program that has drug treatment. But at the same time, too, I also make sure that they get some type of vocational training, too, so they have a skill that they're trained to do during these programs. And I try and put them into programs which will connect them with potential employers in society. … That’s critical.” Judge Padova also spoke about how important implicit bias training is for employees of the courts in order to ensure that everyone is treated equally and with respect, and he spoke about repeated trainings the court has done with an implicit bias expert. Last, he has done pro bono work in the mortgage diversion program and the eviction diversion program to help families and tenants stay in their homes.

On the bench, Judge Padova will continue to be a voice for reason court reform, and a compassionate and wise judge who will rule in ways that allow, whenever possible, for rehabilitation and productive reintegration of citizens into society.

Phila Bar: Highly Recommended

Natasha Taylor-Smith is passionate about her work and incredibly thoughtful about the law and judicial system, will be an excellent judge for the Court of Common Pleas. A federal public defender for the last five years, she was a legal intern and then assistant defender in the state trial office for six years before that. She has also been an adjunct professor at Temple Law School in the trial advocacy program. In her private practice (in Philadelphia as a sole practitioner for eight years, and in Montco for two years), she did criminal defense, civil litigation, family law, municipal law, and education law. Over the course of her career, she has handled very sensitive and complicated cases, for example, one concerning the Montco Register of Wills’ refusal to issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples. In the end, this case was settled, and the certificates were issued.

In her Open Wards interview, Taylor-Smith spoke compellingly about the need for bail reform and criminal justice reform, and, in particular, the importance of diversionary programs that allow for “successful re-integration into society of individuals convicted of crimes.” She also spoke about how “court supervision, particularly periods of incarceration, have an indelible impact on families and the communities in which they live.” During the interview, she impressed the panel with her depth and breadth of knowledge, decisiveness, even temper, warmth, insightfulness, and ability to see all sides of an issue. Taylor-Smith has been highly recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association and endorsed by City Committee.

Phila Bar: Recommended

Judge Washington was appointed judge in the Court of Common Pleas by Governor Wolf in August 2022 and is currently assigned to the Criminal Division. She was appointed after 18 years as a trial attorney and four years as an assistant city solicitor. She has been recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association and endorsed by City Committee. She prides herself on listening to and respecting others in her courtroom. She believes in restorative justice and is excited to begin working with another judge who does resource-based sentencing. Washington feels we have a long way to go to reform the Philadelphia court system, and she says she is working on it in her own courtroom, defendant by defendant. She has stated she feels we need judicial training and social services training from the top down to ensure that all people are treated more equally and humanely within the judicial system. In her own courtroom, she is careful to be conscious of her own biases and demands that all her staff, and the attorneys who appear before her, respect everyone they address. Regarding bail reform, she says that although she will not allow bail for someone about whom she is concerned, i.e., someone who has harmed others, she believes that bail practices need to be reformed so that we do not discriminate against those who cannot afford to pay it. Her interview responses indicated that she is empathetic, patient, merciful, and respectful, and that she demands the same of anyone in her courtroom. Washington has a fundamental drive to help people, and her strength at listening and considering the facts before her, indicate that she is growing into her position and will continue to be a fine judge.

Phila Bar: Recommended

Samantha Williams will bring to the bench her seven-year experience as Director of Legislation and Policy for the Office of Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr., her trial experience as an Assistant District Attorney, and her lived experience as a Black woman growing up and living in Black, Brown and immigrant communities. For Councilmember Jones, Williams oversees all aspects of advancing legislative and policy measures. Her focus has been on criminal justice reform measures. She composed a report from the Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform detailing measures aimed at safely reducing the City’s prison population, and a report from Council’s Shooting Review Committee analyzing solutions to combat rising gun violence in Philadelphia. She drafted Philadelphia’s law implementing Philadelphia’s Citizens Police Oversight Commission. She has pushed—and as a judge, in whatever way she can, she will push—for bail reform. As judge, she will bring a community-focused perspective to the court. In her view, restorative justice must center on community inclusion, with increased alternatives to traditional measures for sentencing. She believes our justice system must work better to focus on underlying drivers that cause individuals to come into the system, and it should focus on increasing measures that restore individuals into their own community. To address the systemic racism in our country which still perpetuates in our courts, in her view, one judge alone cannot fix it, but the court system--from the top down--can do a lot to address it. She herself will mandate consequences to participants in her court room who evidence racist behavior. She started her career as Assistant District Attorney which opened her eyes to what is wrong with our judicial system. She had hoped that she could use her role as a way to make her communities safer, but realized there were so many things wrong that she could not fix as an ADA. But as an ADA, she gained significant trial experience and insight into what our courts can do to address equity and fairness. Williams is ready to adjudicate, whether in civil, criminal or family matters. She is a teacher (trial advocacy at Temple Law), an advocate, and a fighter. She is extremely intelligent, very confident, and has a very calm, even temperament.

Phila Bar: Recommended

Caroline Turner has walked the walk, having dedicated her career to advocating for the underserved in a justice system that is, in her view, broken. She started her career in public service and is seeking to return to public service. Her first career was as a Registered Nurse in London. She moved to the U.S. in 1998 and as a single mother of four young children, earned a master’s in Bioethics and a law degree.  For 11 years she was a Public Defender in New Jersey where she tried dozens of felony cases, including four homicide cases. She successfully managed an average load of 150 felony cases, ranging from homicide to white collar crimes. She also taught trial advocacy skills to seminars of New Jersey Public Defenders. After a tragedy in her immediate family, she moved in 2018 to a Plaintiff’s medical malpractice firm, Swartz Culleton, PC, where she tries civil cases. Turner also has an extensive pro-bono practice representing accused clients for their criminal cases as well as incarcerated clients on their Post-Conviction Relief Act petitions.

Turner is running on a platform of restorative justice; reforming pre-trial detention; courtroom transparency; mental health awareness; probation reform; and addressing racial disparities According to her website, she “realizes the impact judges can have in their courts, and she is determined to correct injustice in her courtroom. She has pledged to support grassroots community leaders in their efforts to bring hope, dignity, restoration, transparency, accountability, and compassion to her decisions.” As she stated in response to the Philadelphia Bar Association’s questionnaire: “I believe that my past and ongoing experience, compassion and understanding of the historical and systemic causes and effects of injustice will make me a judge who is acutely aware that change is desperately needed.  . . As a judge, I will work tirelessly to use my authority to deliver fair and unbiased justice at every stage of the proceedings before me and I will continue to advocate in general for changes to a system that has been historically racist, elitist, and biased.”

Phila Bar: Highly Recommended

Kay Yu is an extraordinarily well-respected, thoughtful and engaged attorney who will make an excellent contribution to the bench. Yu is currently an arbitrator and mediator, having run unsuccessfully for CP court in 2019. Yu has a very compelling personally history, having come to the United States from Korea as a young child; her interest in the law came from discovering deportation notices for her family. She explains that she was effectively her own first client, having achieved naturalization the same year she graduated from Georgetown Law. Yu has over 30 years of legal experience, primarily in private practice handling civil claims. From 2012 to 2019 her practice involved representing clients in construction litigation, counseling employers in handling workplace conflicts and representing the City of Phila and Commonwealth of PA in interest arbitration with various public employee unions (police, fire, corrections, etc.) in the context of collective bargaining. She also represented the School District of Phila against claims of wrongful termination, employment discrimination, retaliation and civil rights violations. Prior to that she has considerable experience involving benefits (health, life, disability and pension plan) litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).   From November 2019 to November 2020, Yu served as the Voter Protection Director for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, planning and implementing a comprehensive voter protection plan for the 2020 primary and general elections.

Yu is notable not only for her legal experience, but for her ongoing public service and pro bono activities. Yu was Chairperson of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations from 2009-2013 (appointed by Mayor Nutter). She has also served as a Member Board of Trustees Community Legal Services & Phila Legal Assistance 2013-2019,a Member of the Board of Trustees ACLU of Greater Phila 2014-2016, Commissioner Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs 2015-2018, Voter Protection Director for PA Dems/Biden-Harris Campaign for PA 2019-2020. Currently, she is a member of the Lawyer Assessment Committee (appointed by PA Supreme Court) & Vice Chair of Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Board (appointed by PA Supreme Ct). She is also a member Board of Directors of The Dialogue Institute, a nonprofit that “engages religious, civic and academic leaders in practicing the skills of respectful dialogue and critical thinking, building and sustaining transformative relationships across lines of religion and culture.”

From the campaign website: “Justice isn’t just about punishment. Justice is also about repairing harm and restoring communities.” In her Bar questionnaire she writes, “I hope to improve the judiciary with my deep commitment to justice by listening to all parties with an open mind, applying the law in a reasoned manner, free from personal bias, and continuously working toward treating all parties who appear before me with dignity, respect, and fairness.” Believes that judges have an obligation to share their “unique knowledge” of the court system especially with school age children “to encourage civic responsibility and to instill a culture of civic participation.” (WFPQ). When asked about how she deals with people “whose experiences are different from yours socially, economically or politically” she responds that “as a Korean-American woman and lawyer” it “does not bother me.” (WFPQ). She is obviously keenly aware of how it feels to be a minority member of our society.

Yu is known to many in the 15th Ward as she used to reside here (and now lives just south of the Ward in Spring Garden).