Newtown Attorney Announces Run For Bucks County Judge Seat

NEWTOWN, PA — Tiffany Thomas-Smith is hoping to make history as the first Black female judge to serve on the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.

The Lower Makefield resident is one of four candidates seeking the Democratic Party nomination in the upcoming primary election on May 8.

The Newtown attorney received her law degree from Howard Law School in 1996 and has been practicing family and criminal law in the Philadelphia region for more than two decades, first in the Philadelphia Public Defender's Office, then as a clerk for Judge Thomas Smith (no relation) in Mount Hawley, New Jersey and finally as the owner and managing partner of her own outfit, the Thomas Smith Firm, P.C. law firm in Newtown.

In addition to her experience as a litigator, Thomas-Smith is committed to the concept of community. She serves on the board of the United Way of Bucks County and is a former board member of the Healing Consciousness Foundation, which supports breast cancer survivors, of which she is one. Her two college-aged sons graduated from the Pennsbury School District.

She uses the term "compassionate justice" to describe the focus of her campaign.

"What that means to me is having understanding and empathy for others and intersecting that fair application of the law to reach the best results," she said.

As for the court system, Thomas-Smith said she sees room for improvement. For one, there is the issue of diversity.

"The reality of it is there's been no African-American woman that has run for this position," Thomas-Smith said. "I think it's time for that, not because of the issue of race but for the recognition of diversity as an educational tool. The more we know about one another the better off we are as a community."

She also feels there should be more family lawyers on the bench, like County Judge Susan Devlin Scott, whose upcoming retirement will mark "the loss of a pioneer," she said.

Thomas-Smith and three other candidates for the judge seat will outline their platforms and answer questions from the public in a virtual forum hosted by Bucks Voices at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 25. Click here for more information.

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