The Interbranch Commission joins the Pennsylvania legal community in congratulating Allegheny County President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark on her well-deserved retirement. The first African-American President Judge of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, President Judge Clark has led a storied career dedicated to fairness and ensuring equal access to justice for all. During her more than two decades in the Allegheny County Court’s Family Division, she has transformed the way children and families who enter the court system are treated, creating a trauma-informed courthouse that has served as a model for courts across the Commonwealth and nationally. As an active member of the Interbranch Commission from 2010 to 2022, she tirelessly promoted the Commission’s work, inspiring her fellow commissioners to do the same. Even after her term as a commissioner expired, President Judge Clark has graciously volunteered her time and expertise to the Interbranch Commission, serving on the Search Committee for a new executive director and offering her informed perspective on juvenile justice and related topics as a member of the Interbranch Commission’s Criminal Justice Committee.
Maraleen Shields, Interbranch Commission Executive Director, was honored to join former Executive Director Lisette “Mimi” McCormick and more than 500 members of the bar, bench, and local community in celebrating President Judge Clark’s retirement. The celebration was held on December 13, 2023, at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh, PA.
