BROOKE BURCHETTE-WILLIAMS, WELDIANNE SCALES
Most times, a person’s first foray into the judicial system is in front of a magisterial district judge, or magistrate. You don’t always see them on national TV, presiding over some capital murder case that’s captivated the attention of the nation.
But in the words of Weldianne Scales, the magistrate court is vital, because it “sets the tone for whether or not a particular activity is truly criminal in nature.”
Scales is one of two Black women vying for the vacant magisterial district judge open seat (05-2-08), in the May 16 Primary Election. Brooke Burchette-Williams, who is also Black, is a candidate, as is Lisa Caulfield, an experienced trial attorney for more than 20 years. There are 46 magisterial district courts within the Fifth Judicial District. Right now, just five of the judges are Black.
Magisterial district judges oversee summary criminal cases, traffic and non-traffic citations, civil matters such as contracts and landlord/tenant disputes, marriage ceremonies, Protection From Abuse orders, and preliminary hearings/arraignments on criminal matters. The judges also can deal with truancy matters.
Scales, Burchette-Williams and Caulfield are looking to represent an area that includes Swissvale, Forest Hills, Churchill, Braddock Hills and Chalfant.
Scales, 37, is a Swissvale resident, and serves as vice president of Swissvale borough council. A Central Florida native, Scales moved to Pittsburgh with her husband, Leland, in 2014. She earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Central Florida, and her J.D. from the Detroit Mercy School of Law. She was a judicial intern in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Family Division. Scales has worked for Blaine Jones Law as director of the civil division, in which she handled all civil matters including immigration, estate and traffic. She has provided pro bono services to the Neighborhood Legal Services Association, and still provides pro bono services for the organization’s Protection From Abuse victims. She’s currently an associate attorney at Burns White, serving in civil litigation defense.
In her role as a legislator for the borough of Swissvale, Scales found that a lot of legislation the council members passed to protect individuals from, say, discrimination, “I see as an attorney that our courts are not following suit,” she told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “Magistrate courts are not achieving the goal we want to achieve, which is building up our community. If we have a magistrate court that is an introduction to the judicial system that’s not following suit, we’re not getting as far as we should be.”
Scales said that as a Black female attorney and daughter of an immigrant, “I see firsthand that racism is still going on in our judicial system, and magistrate courts is where real change in our community can happen.”
Throughout her time in Swissvale, Scales has hosted a free legal clinic called, “Ask a Lawyer,” where residents could get information on bankruptcy, landlord/tenant disputes and family custody matters. She also was instrumental in bringing Juneteenth celebrations to Swissvale.
“I believe that the main qualities of a good magistrate are knowledge of the law…and a commitment to the community,” Scales told the Courier. “I identify with the community and this is what our community deserves. We deserve to have a magistrate that is truly for building up individuals no matter what. All should have access to justice.”
Burchette-Williams, 35, is a Pittsburgh native, a Westinghouse High School graduate, and an alum of Point Park University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Point Park and currently resides in Churchill. In fact, she’s a member of the Churchill borough council, a position she began in January 2022.
In the summer of 2022, Burchette-Williams underwent a series of examinations to become certified by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Minor Judiciary Education Board. That enables Burchette-Williams, and others who pass the tests, to become eligible for a magisterial district judge position.
“I’m running for magistrate because I believe that our communities need to be safe,” Burchette-Williams told the Courier. “We need to have a place where individuals can come to resolve their legal matters in a way that is fair, in a way that provides them with restorative and true justice. Oftentimes, members of the community who become judges have used their position of authority to use the law as a stumbling block for members of our community, to marginalize particular groups within our community and to push their own self interests opposed to really benefiting and changing the dynamics in our community.”
Burchette-Williams, who currently mediates legal cases that involve landlord/tenant disputes for a local nonprofit organization, was a community organizer for Operation Better Block, based in Homewood. She saw from the ground the legal matters people had, along with people’s transportation issues, the workforce development programs, and the available reading programs for youth.
“Being that I have that well-rounded experience of working on the front lines in our community, I’m able to handle and understand the lived experiences of our community who will be coming through our court system,” Burchette-Williams said.
Another advantage Burchette-Williams said she has is that she’s a native Pittsburgher.
“I’ve lived in Homewood, Downtown, to Friendship, Churchill…different demographics, different income levels, different traditions,” she said. “I’ve been able to interact with people from all walks of life in a way that sees them as individuals and humans, and I’m able to ensure that my engagement with them does not promote any kind of bias or prejudice. I’m able to meet people where they are.”