President Judge Emeritus Kate Ford Elliott was born June 8, 1949, in Pittsburgh. She attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.A. in Education (1971). She later earned her M.S. in Education from Duquesne University (1973) and her J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law (1978).
She was elected Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in November 1989. President Judge Emeritus Ford Elliott was retained to full ten-year terms in 1999 and 2009 by Pennsylvania’s voters. She was selected by her judicial peers to become President Judge of the Superior Court on January 9, 2006 and served for 5 years until 2011. In 2017, she retired from the active bench and took senior status until her retirement on December 31, 2020.
She is a member of the Allegheny County Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Past Chairperson of the Allegheny County Appellate Practice Committee. President Judge Emeritus Ford Elliott was also former Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Futures Commission on Justice in the 21st Century, established by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. She was President of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a member of the National Association of Women Judges, and the American Judicature Society. She has served on the Executive Board of the ABA Committee of Appellate Staff Attorneys and is a frequent lecturer on issues of Appellate Practice and Procedure.