Supreme Court justice elected to American Law Institute

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd of Pittsburgh has been elected to the

American Law Institute (ALI), a national organization that produces scholarly work aimed to clarify, modernize and improve the law.

Members of the institute draft, discuss, revise and publish restatements of the law, model statutes and principles of law that are extremely influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education.

Todd is one of 50 new members elected in October. She is joined by judges, lawyers and law professors from across the United States and throughout the world.

Selection to ALI begins with a confidential nomination by a current member with the support of two additional members. Nominees must demonstrate excellence in the law, be of high character, be willing to contribute to the work of the Institute, and be committed to ALI’s mission to clarify and improve the law.

Todd was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in November 2007 after serving on
the Pennsylvania Superior Court since 2000. She received an undergraduate degree from
Chatham College, a juris doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a master of laws degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh area.

Most recently, Justice Todd chaired the Supreme Court’s Elder Law Task Force which delivered a comprehensive 284-page report to serve as a blueprint to improve the way Pennsylvania elders interact with the court system and are protected from abuse and neglect.