HARRISBURG (Aug. 28, 2020) – Pennsylvania Bar Association members Samantha Divine Jallah of Danville and Amber M. Racine of Philadelphia have been appointed to Governor Tom Wolf’s Judicial Advisory Commission. The commission’s role is to assist the general counsel of Pennsylvania in identifying qualified applicants for the governor’s consideration when appointments are needed to fill vacancies on Pennsylvania’s appellate courts.
PBA President David E. Schwager recommended Jallah and Racine to serve on the commission following discussions with the Wolf administration. “I am pleased that the governor took the input of the Pennsylvania Bar Association into account in determining the composition of this significant panel. The PBA is the most broad-based organization of all lawyers across the commonwealth,” Schwager said
“Congratulations to Samantha and Amber on their roles with this important commission that will help insure that applicants to fill vacancies possess the personal qualifications of character, integrity, experience, competence and temperament necessary to qualify fully for the judiciary,” Schwager said.
Commission members conduct interviews of applicants who meet judicial appointment qualifications, evaluate the applicants to determine those best qualified to serve in a judicial office and provide reports to the general counsel. The nine-member commission includes the general counsel or a designee to serve as chairperson ex officio, six lawyers and two citizens who are not lawyers. Commission members are appointed to one-year terms and continue to serve until successors have been appointed.
Samantha Divine Jallah
Jallah is associate counsel for Geisinger Health Plan, founder of the Strategic Fight for Education, Accountability and Transparency (Strategic FEAT) movement, and executive director of Liberian Awards Inc., which provides scholarships and mentoring services to immigrant college students. Jallah is a member of the PBA Diversity Team, PBA Minority Bar Committee and PBA Commission on Women in the Profession.
Amber M. Racine
Racine focuses her legal practice at Raynes Lawn Hehmeyer on cases involving product liability and premises liability. She previously served terms on the Judicial Advisory Commission before its recent reformation. She is a member of the PBA Joint Task Force on the Continuity of Delivery of Legal Services, PBA Minority Bar Committee and PBA House of Delegates. Racine also is active in the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia Inc., Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association and Philadelphia Bar Association.
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state’s largest organized bar association.