Historic Moment for Berks Bench

M. Theresa Johnson becomes county's first female President Judge

By the Hon. Jill Gehman Koestel

President Judge Johnson with her helpers Maggie Groucutt, daughter of Jacquelin Hamer Groucutt; Charlotte Bodor, daughter of Justin Bodor; Penny Groucutt, daughter of Jacquelin Hamer Groucutt; and Anna and Nina Litinov, daughters of Amy Litinov, after the ceremony.

“We are continuing to upgrade the technology in the courtrooms, which has saved money by decreasing the cost of prisoner transport and witness travel fees,” Johnson said. “I look forward to a good working relationship with the other leaders within the county and with the Bar Association. My goal would be to have the Berks County Court System recognized across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for our initiatives.”

Setting goals is one of the lessons Johnson said she learned as a varsity athlete.

A native of Chapel Hill, NC, Johnson became an avid swimmer, accomplished enough to garner offers to swim at the highest level of collegiate athletics – Division I.

When Johnson arrived in Happy Valley, she was one of 13 freshman recruits competing for the Nittany Lions varsity women’s swim team. Just two of those 13 swimmers spent all four years on the team. Johnson was one of the two. And she was captain of the team her senior year.

“Staying involved at the collegiate level for all four years at Penn State was difficult, but well worth the life lessons and memories,” Johnson recalled. "Being a varsity athlete has instilled many values that have carried with me personally and through my professional career. Teamwork, discipline, hard work and goal setting are among just a few. I am a huge proponent of kids being involved in athletics because of the life lessons.”

After graduating from Penn State, Johnson said she hung up her swim cap and goggles for many years. She remained active by trying other forms of exercise, including running, spin class, and aerobics.

In the spring of 2022, Johnson returned to the pool for the first time in more than three decades.

“Despite continuing to exercise over the years, I was surprised by how aerobically I was out of shape,” Johnson confessed. "I have now worked myself back up to going every morning before work, and I have found that there is nothing mentally that clears my head and puts me on the right track more than swimming.”

Clearing her schedule to fit in pool time may be a little easier than in the past.

Johnson noted that her primary hobby had been raising her three children, Jan, Jr., Gabriella and Rachel, and cheering them on as they each competed in various sports.

Johnson cheered from the stands one last time in mid-March as her youngest daughter competed in the NCAA Division II swimming championships in Indianapolis.

“That was the end of my 20-plus years as a Little League parent,” Johnson said wistfully. “It’s bittersweet. I will need to find some new hobbies as I am not a “sitter” and need to be busy.”

Home improvement projects are already keeping her busy. Johnson said she enjoys watching YouTube videos and is teaching herself how to tackle some pretty serious renovations.

“I recently tiled all my bathrooms and installed luxury vinyl in my laundry room with the help of one of my daughters,” Johnson said. “My next project, which I am close to talking myself into, is tearing all the carpet out of my upstairs and installing hardwood floors. I am hopeful that I’ll be able to report to the Bar Association members at the Annual Fall Meeting that this project is complete!”

To provide some additional historical perspective, Johnson’s elevation to Berks County’s top judge comes nearly 40 years after Elizabeth Ehrlich was the first female elected judge in 1983. Just seven other women have ascended to the bench since Judge Ehrlich.

Johnson’s selection is an indication of the respect women have garnered in our judiciary.

In Johnson’s investiture speech, she thanked the many influential men who helped and supported her throughout her career.

Though it may ring true that any woman who becomes “the first” in any endeavor has benefitted from the support of men, future generations of women will be able to thank Johnson for shattering a glass ceiling that had been in place for 272 years.

I’m proud to have witnessed history. For the remainder of my life, I’ll be able to tell others that I was in the room where it happened and could almost feel those 272-year-old shards of glass raining down all around me. It was a most breathtaking reality.

Congratulations Judge Johnson. The next five years will truly go down in history in the very best of ways!

Judge Koestel serves with Judge Johnson on the Berks County Court of Common Pleas and is a Past President of the Berks County Bar Association.

Path to President Judge

Born: Chapel Hill, NC

Education: Penn State University and Weidner University Commonwealth Law School, Harrisburg

Before the Bench: She earned an internship in the Berks County District Attorney’s Office while attending law school and, after graduating and passing the bar, was hired as an Assistant District Attorney. In 1998, Johnson entered private practice and began working for Rhoda, Stoudt and Bradley. She then returned to the district attorney’s office in 2001 as Supervising Attorney assigned to work with the Reading Area Violent Crimes Task Force and the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program. In January 2004, Attorney Johnson and members of the Weed and Seed Program were selected by the Department of Justice along with six other cities to attend a conference in Washington, DC to discuss the success of Task Force and the Weed and Seed program. She joined Linton, Giannascoli, Distasio and Adams where she continued her long association with John Adams. After John Adams was elected district attorney in 2008, Johnson returned to that office, but this time as the First Assistant District Attorney. She continued in that role until 2013 when, with Adams’s endorsement, she was elected Judge of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas where she has served with distinction for the past nine years.

Judicial Activity: Because of her work in the district attorney’s office, Johnson served in the civil and family divisions of the Court for her first two years on the Bench. In 2016, she moved to the criminal division and became head of that division in 2018.

Women President Judges in Pennsylvania

The Hon. Kim Berkely Clark – Allegheny County

The Hon. M. Theresa Johnson – Berks County

The Hon. Elizabeth Doyle – Blair County

The Hon. Maureen Beirne – Bradford County

The Hon. Sara Seidle-Patton – Clarion County

The Hon. Linda Cartisano – Delaware County

The Hon. Maureen Skerda – Forest/Warren Counties

The Hon. Patricia Corbett – Lackawana County

The Hon. Nancy Butts – Lycoming County

The Hon. Margherita Patti Washington – Monroe County

The Hon. Carolyn Carluccio – Montgomery County

The Hon. Paige Rosini – Northumberland County

The Hon. Lori Hackenberg – Snyder/Union Counties

The Hon. Marie Veon – Venango County

The Hon. Janine Edwards – Wayne County

The Hon. Maria Musti Cook – York County

Source: Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System