ChesCo court selects Cody as new president judge

Posted by Press Release on December 19, 2014

The Court of Common Pleas of Chester County announced that it selected Judge Jacqueline C. Cody as the new president judge. Her term will commence on Jan. 5, and run for a period of five years. Cody will take over from James P. MacElree II, who is finishing his term as president judge that began on January 4, 2010.

Cody is the second female to hold the position. Judge Paula Francisco Ott, now serving on Pennsylvania’s Superior Court, was the first in 2010. However, Cody is believed to be the first Democrat to be elected to the position, according to longtime courthouse observers.

She was appointed to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas in December 1992. She was elected to a 10-year term in 1993, and retained for a second term in 2003. During her time on the bench, she initiated a mediation program for child custody disputes and implemented the Chester County Drug Court, an intensive, rehabilitative program for non-violent drug offenders that has served as a model across the state.

Cody also serves on the Judicial Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges.

Before assuming her seat on the bench, Cody worked in the Chester County District Attorney's Office from 1981 through 1992 as an assistant district attorney and deputy district attorney. During her tenure as a deputy, she was instrumental in establishing the Child Abuse Unit.

A native of West Chester and graduate of Villa Maria Academy, Cody received a bachelor's degree in psychology from St. Joseph's College and a law degree from Villanova Law School.