Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Marc J. Zucker issued the following statement congratulating Rep. Joanna McClinton on being elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. McClinton, D-Philadelphia, is the first woman and first Black woman to be elected to the position.
McClinton has served in the state House of Representatives since 2015. She previously worked for seven years as a public defender before becoming chief counsel to state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, D-Philadelphia, in 2013.
”The Philadelphia Bar Association extends its heartfelt congratulations to Speaker McClinton on her historic election as the first woman and first Black woman to lead Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives in the chamber’s almost 350-year history,” Zucker said. “Speaker McClinton has long been a treasured member of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a valued leader in the Philadelphia legal community. She generously has contributed her time and expertise to our educational, policy and advocacy efforts and has been a champion for individual rights and equal access to justice. Her energy, passion and commitment are omnipresent. We look forward to her strong, thoughtful and compassionate leadership in her new role, and we stand ready to assist her in any way that we can.”
