Sandra Schultz Newman (born November 4, 1938) is a former justice of the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as the "Supreme Court" of Pennsylvania were made offici ...

Career

Schultz Newman was the first female Assistant District Attorney in the Montgomery County, and is licensed to practice in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She was first elected to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court in 1993. In 1995, she was elected to the State Supreme Court, becoming the court's first female justice. Since retiring at the end of 2006, she has maintained a private law practice in

Alternative Dispute Resolution Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or external dispute resolution (EDR), typically denotes a wide range of dispute resolution processes and techniques that parties can use to settle disputes with the help of a third party. They are used for ...

. She also prepares lawyers for mock appellate arguments. She wrote the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania decision affirming the murder conviction of Walter Ogrod which had no dissent. Ogrod was later exonerated after being incarcerated for 28 years.

Recognitions

Schultz Newman has received the Medallion of Achievement Award from Villanova University School of Law, the Anne X. Alpern Award from the

Pennsylvania Bar Association The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in Pennsylvania, United States. The association offers membership benefits, including publications, practice support, networking, and continuing ...

, and four Honorary Doctorate Degrees. She is also a recipient of the Drexel 100 Award, recognizing her as one of

Drexel University Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...

's 100 outstanding alumni, and she has been designated a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania. She was one of the founders of the new Drexel University College of Law, and serves on its Board of Overseers, and she has been on the executive board of Trustees of Drexel's College of Medicine since 2002.

Family

She and her husband, Dr. Julius Newman (died 2005), had two sons, Jonathan and David.Obituary: Dr. Julius Newman
legacy.com. Accessed May 5, 2025.

References

External links

Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Living people American women judges Drexel University alumni Temple University alumni Villanova University School of Law alumni 1938 births 21st-century American women Pennsylvania Republicans {{Pennsylvania-state-judge-stub