Montgomery County bench welcomes 2 new judges

NORRISTOWN >> Saying they were honored and humbled by their ascensions to the Montgomery County bench, two legal eagles, each with decades of experience, took their oaths of office before a standing room only crowd.

Spectators erupted with thunderous applause as Jeffrey S. Saltz, 64, of Lower Merion Township, and Wendy G. Rothstein, 61, of Plymouth Township, officially took their places on the county’s 23-member bench on Tuesday.

As his wife, Janet, held the Bible on which he placed his hand, Saltz took the oath of office, administered by President Judge Thomas M. DelRicci. During his poignant remarks, Saltz thanked his wife for her support, referring to her as “my counselor, my partner, my advisor, my confidant, my moral compass, my love.”

Saltz’s children, Andrew, Julia and Adam assisted their father with his robing.

“Wow! It’s such an incredible honor. It will be the honor of my life to serve with you,” Saltz addressed his colleagues as he settled into a black, leather chair on the bench.

“Wow, to quote Judge Saltz,” Rothstein smiled as she took her place minutes later on the bench and thanked her friends, family and supporters “from the bottom of my heart.” “As a judge, I can’t promise I’ll be the smartest in the courtroom however, I can promise you that I will be the most hardworking and well-prepared.”

As her daughter, Rachel, held the Bible on which she placed her hand, Rothstein took her oath, administered by U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney. Bruce and Cerie Goldenberg, Rothstein’s brother and sister-in-law, assisted her during her official robing.

Rothstein and Saltz swept the contest for the two seats on the bench during last November’s election. Rothstein and Saltz were elected to 10-year judicial terms.

Rothstein will preside in criminal court and Saltz will preside in civil court.

“As long as I can remember I have been fascinated by the law,” Saltz said during his address to colleagues, friends, supporters and numerous dignitaries. “It was only as time passed that I came to understand the essential role that the law and our judicial system play in our democracy. Many societies promise their people basic rights, but it takes an independent judiciary to ensure that that promise is kept.”

Referring to the words hanging on the walls of his courthouse chambers, “Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue,” Saltz added, “I am so honored and humbled for the opportunity to be an instrument of that justice.”

Rothstein said the occasion reminded her of a quote by the late poet Maya Angelou, who wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“When people leave my courtroom, I want them to feel that they appeared before a judge who was unbiased, well-prepared, listened to them, respected them and allowed them to have a voice and at the end of the day was decisive,” Rothstein said during her remarks to those who packed the courtroom for her swearing-in ceremony.

Rothstein’s colleague, Judge Carolyn T. Carluccio, said Rothstein was born and raised in Norristown and spent her entire professional career in the county.

“She truly loves this county and is part of its absolute fabric,” Carluccio addressed the crowd.

Carluccio said Rothstein was a trailblazer for women in the legal profession as the first female lawyer hired at Pearlstine Salkin, Associates, now known as Fox Rothschild, in 1982 and the first female partner in the firm’s Blue Bell office.

“Not easy feats back in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” said Carluccio, who also described Rothstein as having “patience, perseverance and grit.” “Being a judge on this court is a dream that Wendy has long-awaited. She saw herself in this role for years.”

Rothstein also was the first woman appointed as a municipal solicitor in Montgomery County in 1988; appointed by the county judges to serve as a discovery master in 2001; and appointed by county judges to serve as a Chair of a Board of View in 2013.

Rothstein joins nine other women currently on the county bench.

Rothstein thanked the “warrior women who had my back.”

Quoting Gloria Steinem, Rothstein said, “Rising to action with strength, a woman warrior isn’t afraid to do the work necessary to fulfill her dreams. She sees no task too hard or no mountain of paperwork too high…Sure, some luck and divine providence would be appreciated, but a woman warrior won’t sit back and wait for it.”

County Commissioner Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. described Saltz as “wise, understanding and respected.”

“Jeffrey Saltz meets all these qualifications and so much more. He is a worthy addition to our Court of Common Pleas and will serve with distinction,” Lawrence said.

Rothstein and Saltz join a bench “steeped in tradition,” one that is “a collection of exceptional judges,” DelRicci said. The president judge said the new judges have “stellar reputations” and described them as being “intellectually gifted and soundly grounded” and said they have “unwavering integrity and a deep sense of caring.”

Before becoming a judge, Saltz ran his own law firm in Philadelphia since 1998, and handled high-profile cases representing major corporations in multimillion-dollar disputes. Saltz was a board member of the Montgomery County Industrial Development Authority from 2002 to 2008 and was a law clerk to Judge Harrison L. Winter, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1978 to 1979.

Saltz graduated from Princeton University in 1975 and is a 1978 graduate of Harvard Law School, according to his resume.

Rothstein graduated from Temple University in 1978 with a Bachelors of Social

Work and obtained her law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1982.