Statement of Elizabeth T. Brown

By Elizabeth T. "Liz" Brown

As a Magisterial District Judge, I will:

• be Fair to everyone who appears before me, regardless of political or personal affiliation
• be Focused on the business of the court, and
• Work Full-time for the citizens of the district.

I am dedicated to making Magisterial District Court 38-1-07 work for the communities it serves. I am the only candidate who has pledged that if elected, being a magisterial district judge will be my full-time job. I do not have an active law practice that will compete with the court for my time and attention.

Magisterial district judges get paid the same whether they work full time or part time. For the last six years, the residents of Bala Cynwyd and the other neighborhoods within the district of Magisterial District Court 38-2-04 have been served by a full-time judge. I believe that the residents of this district deserve a full-time judge too.

Because I do not have a private law practice, I also will not be faced with the ethical problem of having to decide cases involving past or present clients or attorneys with whom I have worked. It is harder to be objective when you have handled a legal dispute or written a will for the citizen or police officer testifying before you.

While many of the matters that come before the court are considered "minor" offenses or "small" claims, I recognize that they are not minor or small to the people involved. Because I will not be rushing to get back to a law practice, I will give each matter that comes before me the time and attention needed to fairly adjudicate it. Moreover, I will treat everyone who comes before me with fairness and impartiality, regardless of their personal or political affiliation.

I am a life-long resident of this area. I grew up in the South Ardmore Park section of Wynnewood and attended Lower Merion public schools. Presently, I live in Narberth with my husband and eight-year-old daughter.

My background is in both law and social services. I have an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Cornell University and a law degree from Cornell Law School.

Following law school, I returned to the Philadelphia area and began my professional career as a litigator. After spending several years doing legal research, writing briefs and flying around the country doing depositions and other types of discovery, I transitioned into legal journalism.

During my eleven years as legal editor of the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, I served as their resident expert in Pennsylvania law. It is no exaggeration to say that I have read, analyzed and summarized thousands of cases from the trial and appellate courts of the state. It was my job to objectively report the rationale the courts used in reaching their decisions. I will employ the same objectivity in deciding cases as a Magisterial District Judge.

For the last several years, I have been working in nonprofit management. I currently serve as program director for an organization that provides confidential telephone-based crisis-intervention and suicide hotline services to individuals throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.

The role of Magisterial District Judge has been described to me as part legal decision-maker, and part social worker. My background in psychology and my familiarity with the various social services agencies in the region will aid me in resolving cases in a fair and productive manner.

If you would like to learn more about me, please visit my website + http://www.brownformdj.com . To get in touch with me, e-mail campaign@brownformdj.com.