Judge Barbara McDermott, a Philadelphia homicide judge for more than a decade, died earlier this month after a battle with cancer. She was 71.
McDermott handled high-profile cases including police-involved shootings and numerous juvenile life resentencings during her time on the bench. She was both a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney before becoming a judge.
Former homicide prosecutor Chesley Lightsey, now a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, called McDermott one of the most trusted jurists in the homicide courtrooms.
“So fair. I think that she was one of the homicide judges that both sides were very willing to do waiver trials in front of because they knew that she was going to give a fair outcome and whatever that meant to her, but we trusted her judgment.”
Beyond the courtroom, McDermott served on several judicial committees and was a regional district director for the National Association of Women Judges. She was an avid supporter of open, public courtrooms and press access, and she mentored many young lawyers and judges.
Lightsey said McDermott saw it as part of her role to bring women on the bench together.
“She felt like it was part of her job as a female judge to bring women together to talk about issues, or just to create friendships on the bench, just because the bench can be very isolating, because it has to be.”
McDermott was also a wife, mother and grandmother.