Cheryl Lynn Allen (born December 16, 1947) became the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

woman to be elected to the

Pennsylvania Superior Court The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts (the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania). It is based in Harrisburg. Jurisdiction The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and most ...

. A

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

native and former Pittsburgh public school

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, Judge Allen is a graduate of

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

and the

University of Pittsburgh School of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) was founded in 1895. It became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900. Its primary home facility is the Barco Law Building. The school offers four degrees: Master ...

. She spent fifteen years practicing

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

before earning a merit selection appointment to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in 1990. Elected to a ten-year term in 1991, she was retained in 2001 for a second ten-year term. In 2007, she was elected to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Formative years and family

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cheryl Lynn Allen is the oldest child of Robert and Corrine Allen. Married to Jimmie Skipwith, she has three sons, Frederick, Justin and Jason. A graduate of Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree by Pennsylvania State University in 1969 and a Juris Doctor by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1975.

Education, legal and public service career

Following her graduation from Penn State, Allen became an elementary school teacher in the

Pittsburgh Public Schools Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district serving the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (except for two small parts served by the Baldwin-Whitehall School District) and adjacent Mount Oliver. As of the 2021–2022 school year, the ...

. She held that position for three years, and then embarked on her legal career. Hired by Neighborhood Law Services as an attorney after earning her juris doctor, she was subsequently employed by the Allegheny County Law Department, worked for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and also operated a private civil law practice. During the spring of 1990, Allen was granted a merit selection appointment to the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County and assigned to the court's criminal division. She was then elected to a ten-year term in November 1991 and served with the Juvenile Section of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Retained by voters for a second ten-year term in November 2001, she continued to oversee juvenile cases until April 2, 2004. During her Common Pleas court tenure, she was appointed to the Supreme Court Juvenile Court Judges Commission. From 2001 to 2006, Allen was employed as an associate professor by

Point Park University Point Park University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Formerly known as Point Park College, the school name was revised in 2004 to reflect the number of graduate programs being offered. History Beginnings The university bega ...

in Pittsburgh. On April 12, 2004, Allen was reassigned to the criminal division of the Court of Common Pleas, where she remained until assuming her elected position on the Superior Court in 2008. In 2014, Allen helped to initiate, and then participated with, two of her superior court colleagues, Judge

Sallie Updyke Mundy Sallie Updyke Mundy (born June 29, 1962) is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Supreme Court and a former judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Early life and education Mundy was born in Elmira, New Yor ...

and Judge Christine L. Donohue, in a special argument session hosted by the Pennsylvania State University's Dickinson School of Law at University Park from April 1 to 2. The special outreach session was designed to educate high school, college students and members of the general public about the operations of Pennsylvania's superior court system, and gave attendees the opportunity to witness more than thirty cases related to civil, criminal, and family law. In 2015, Allen ran unsuccessfully for the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

and retired from the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. In 2020, she appeared at various events in support of Donald Trump's unsuccessful 2020 run for a second presidential term, including during an interview with Vice President Mike Pence at the Republican National Convention.

Legacy

Judge Allen is a founding member of Women Without Walls (WWW), a ministry whose mission is to promote unity among women from varied cultural and denominational backgrounds. She serves on the

Juvenile Court A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...

Judges Commission and on boards including the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, Hosanna House, and

Cornerstone Television The Cornerstone Television Network is a non-commercial Christian broadcast and satellite television network based in Wall, Pennsylvania, United States. Its founder was Russ Bixler. The network has 44 full-power and 57 low-power affiliate stations ...

. She is a

Waynesburg University Waynesburg University is a private university in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1850 and offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. The university enrolls over 2,500 students, including ...

Trustee and a former board member of Child Watch and Court Appointment Special Advocates (CASA).

Awards and honors

* Geneva College Serving Leader Award 2015 *

New Pittsburgh Courier The ''New Pittsburgh Courier'' is a weekly African-American newspaper based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned by Real Times. The newspaper is named after the original ''Pittsburgh Courier'' (1907–65), which in the 1930s ...

's Women of Excellence Award, 2008 * The Legal Intelligencer & Pennsylvania Law Weekly Women of the Year, 2008 *

Camp Fire USA Camp Fire, formerly Camp Fire USA and originally Camp Fire Girls of America, is a co-ed youth development organization. Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in America. It is gender inclusive, and its prog ...

Incredible Kid Day Breakfast of Champions, 2008 * Celebrate & Share Woman of Achievement Honor Award, 2008 * Three Rivers Youth Nellie Leadership Award, 2006 * Greater Pittsburgh

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, Tribute to Women Award, 2006 * Pennsylvania Commission for Women, Woman's History Month Award, 2005 * Juvenile Court Judges Commission Award, 2004 * Allegheny County Bar Association, Juvenile Justice Award, 2004 * CASA Volunteer Recognition Award, 2004 * Second Chance Inc., Women of Standard Award, 2004 *

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

, Women's Law Association, Woman of the Year, 2002 * University of Pittsburgh, Alumni of the Year, 1999

References

External links

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks to Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen
during the livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention (photo, August 2020), CBS News, Austin, Texas. {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Cheryl Lynn Living people African-American judges Pennsylvania Democrats Pennsylvania Republicans Pennsylvania lawyers Judges of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni Politicians from Pittsburgh Lawyers from Pittsburgh 21st-century African-American politicians 1947 births 21st-century African-American educators 21st-century American educators