The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association said in endorsing Judge Leadbetter’s retention:

        Judge Leadbetter’s reputation for judicial temperament, sound judgment, integrity and personal character are qualities important to our members. Representing more than 8,000 active and retired State Troopers, the PSTA seeks to endorse candidates who have the best interest of Pennsylvania and its law enforcement community at heart. Clearly, her record of public service shows resolute determination in making Pennsylvania safe for our citizens.

The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO said in endorsing Judge Leadbetter’s retention:

        This endorsement is extended in recognition of her careful and fair consideration of all issues, including Labor issues.

The Pennsylvania State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police gave Judge Leadbetter its highest endorsement, stating:

We value your support of the 41,000 Law Enforcement Officers that we represent throughout the Commonwealth. The attention to the issues faced by these officers on a daily basis and the recognition and concern you have for their well being is greatly appreciated.

The Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council has stated:

        Her support for the construction workers and their issues has distinguished her among her colleagues, and has benefited countless hardworking Pennsylvanians.

MY COMMITMENT

         For 11 years, I believe I have faithfully fulfilled your expectations of me as a judge on the Commonwealth Court. Now I hope you believe it’s your turn to acknowledge my efforts by voting YES on November 6 to retain me as a judge.

        What should you expect of your judges? A judge should evaluate each case solely on the facts and law applicable to that case, without regard to partisan politics, personal or professional friendships or whether a decision will be popular or unpopular. While each appeal must be decided in favor of one side or the other, every litigant should feel that the result was the product of a thorough and fair process. I have been guided by these principles in all my decisions and, if retained, I commit to every voter that I will continue to do so.

        A retention election differs from the usual election. A voter does not choose between two candidates, but whether or not to retain the judge for another 10 year term, based on the judge’s record. If the judge is not retained, the public cannot know who the replacement judge will be.

       I believe my behavior in office and my record of public service has earned your trust, and hope that you will judge me on what I have done and not on what others may have done. I need and value your support on election day.

MY BACKGROUND

        President Judge Leadbetter was appointed to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania by Governor Ridge in May of 1996 and was elected to the Court in 1997. She was unanimously elected President Judge by her colleagues effective January 7, 2007. In 1999, she was also appointed to the Court of Judicial Discipline for a four-year term. From 1990 until she joined the Commonwealth Court, Judge Leadbetter was a shareholder in the law firm of Fineman & Bach, P.C., where she specialized in civil litigation, and also served as a Judge Pro Tempore of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas (1991-96). Judge Leadbetter is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Widener Law and Government Institute Board of Visitors.

         She has taught trial and appellate advocacy in various venues, including Temple Law School’s LL.M. Program in Trial Advocacy and continuing legal education courses sponsored by the American Bar Association Appellate Judges' Conference, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Eastern District Continuing Legal Education Committee, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Academy of Trial Advocacy. Judge Leadbetter previously served on the Third Circuit Lawyers' Advisory Committee (1988-91, chair 1991) and the Federal Courts Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association (1990). She served as a Master of the J. Willard O’Brien American Inn of Court and director of the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1990s) and as a member of that Court’s Local Rules Advisory Committee.

        Before entering private practice, Judge Leadbetter was an Assistant District Attorney for Philadelphia County (1971-76) and an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1976-81). She graduated in 1968 from Rice University and in 1971 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she served as Managing Editor of the Law Review.

       She has been married to Gary R. Leadbetter, a Montgomery County attorney, for 36 years and they have two daughters and three grandchildren.