Jessica Brown (Pennsylvania)

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Jessica Brown

Democratic Party

Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas

Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2034

Years in position

1

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

High school

Abington High School

Bachelor's

Bates College, 1998

Law

Temple Law School, 2001

Personal

Birthplace

Philadelphia, Pa.

Religion

Episcopalian

Profession

Attorney at law

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Jessica Brown (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She assumed office on January 1, 2024. Her current term ends on January 2, 2034.

Brown (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2023

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judges Genece E. Brinkley, Joel S. Johnson, and Rayford A. Means filed to run for retention in 2023 but later withdrew. As a result, 10 seats on the court were up in the primary election, but 13 seats were up in the general election on November 7, 2023. The Democratic Party nominated candidates James Eisenhower, Elvin Ross, and Raj Sandher to run for the additional three seats in the general election.

See also: City elections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2023)

General election

General election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (13 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tamika Washington (D)	9.5	204,468
✔		Natasha Taylor-Smith (D)	9.4	201,305
✔		Samantha Williams (D)	8.9	190,770
✔		Kay Yu (D)	8.6	184,310
✔		Brian McLaughlin (D)	8.4	181,161
✔	Submit photo	Chesley Lightsey (D)	8.2	175,248
✔	Submit photo	John Padova Jr. (D)	7.7	165,392
✔		Jessica Brown (D)	7.2	155,170
✔		Caroline Turner (D)	7.1	152,850
✔	Submit photo	Damaris Garcia (D)	6.6	141,108
✔	Submit photo	James Eisenhower (D)	6.5	138,927
✔	Submit photo	Elvin Ross (D)	6.0	128,519
✔	Submit photo	Raj Sandher (D)	5.8	124,315
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	3,961

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,147,504
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas (13 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Natasha Taylor-Smith	10.3	145,242
✔		Tamika Washington	9.3	130,896
✔		Samantha Williams	8.6	121,340
✔		Kay Yu	7.8	109,961
✔	Submit photo	John Padova Jr.	7.2	100,946
✔	Submit photo	Chesley Lightsey	6.5	91,646
✔		Brian McLaughlin	6.2	87,367
✔	Submit photo	Damaris Garcia	6.2	86,824
✔		Caroline Turner	6.1	86,095
✔		Jessica Brown	5.8	81,517
		Will Braveman	5.6	78,447
		Wade Albert	5.5	78,124
		Kenneth Joel	5.0	69,900
	Submit photo	Qawi Abdul-Rahman	3.9	54,810
	Submit photo	Melissa Francis	3.5	48,868
	Submit photo	Joe Green	2.7	38,524
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	865

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,411,372
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• MK Feeney (D)
• Colleen McIntyre Osborne (D)
• Aaron Bell (D)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Brown in this election.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jessica Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brown's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Jessica is a native Philadelphian who cares deeply about the City. She has spent her legal career working to improve the lives of people who live here. She stated her career as at attorney at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, practicing exclusively criminal law. She spend the last two years their representing children charged as adults. After six years at the Defender Association, Jessica moved on to the U.S. Dept. of Labor. At the Department of Labor, she engaged in civil enforcement against employers that failed keep their workers safe or pay them properly. Jessica decided after ten years with the government to move into private practice. She now represents Unions and their members at the law firm of Willig, Williams and Davidson. Jessica lives in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia with her husband. She has two grown sons. She has served as a Judge of Elections, is a lay reader at her church, and a member of the Manayunk Beer Runners. Her pro bono work has been to server member of the Pennsylvania Prison Society’s Public Policy Committee.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Jessica will treat all parties with dignity and respect.
• Jessica is a dedicated public servant.
• Jessica is extremely qualified.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about ensuring equal access to our Courts.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials need to be honest and even-handed in dealing with the public. Additionally, they must be willing to learn and admit when they have made a mistakes. I endeavor to abide by these principles in my life now and will continue to do so when elected.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have a long and varied professional background in multiple areas of law and representing differing parties. I have represented individuals, the government, and unions. I have practiced civil and criminal law. I have appeared in federal and state trial courts, as well as in front of administrative bodies. I have chosen three times to completely change the area of law that I practice. All of this makes me uniquely qualified to address the many different people and issues that can arise in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Coupling these qualifications with my own desire to be a respectful jurists; by being one who listens and is willing to learn, will make me a successful judge.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a Camp Counselor at Camp Indian Run. This was a residential camp run by the Girl Scouts of Philadelphia. I worked there for the summer over three different years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is "To Kill a Mockingbird." It is my favorite book because it is the book which inspired me to be a lawyer. It beautiful illustrated how sometimes fighting for something even when you know you cannot win is worth it. Also, it is a simply captivating read. I learn something every time I re-read it.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

My overarching judicial philosophy is to first and foremost treat everyone who enters my courtroom with respect. I would examine each case from a neutral posture, considering the facts and law, and then apply those facts to the law as necessary. As a judge at the trial level, I would follow all relevant appellate precedents in reaching my conclusion.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

It is important for a trial judge to have empathy for individual circumstances of every defendant, complaining witness, or plaintiff that appears before them. However, it is also important to be consistent and even-handed when making decisions. A judge can, and should, have empathy while being fair.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

I have been recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Philadelphia AFL-CIO

AFSCME District Council 33
AFSCME District Council 47
Communications Workers of America District 2-13
IATSE Local 8
International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1291
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
Teamsters Local 623
United Food & Commercial Workers 1776 Keystone State


Philadelphia Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity
Working Families Party
Philly NOW (National Organization for Women)

2nd Ward
9th Ward
15th Ward
18th Ward
27th Ward
21st Ward
Ward 39A

Senator Vincent Hughes
Senator Nikil Saval
Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler
Rep. Joseph Hohenstein
Rep. Tarik Khan
Rep. Rick Krajewski

Rep. Ben Waxman

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2023 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas

Website

Facebook

Footnotes

Pennsylvania courts

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Federal courts:

Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania

State courts:

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts

State resources:

Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania