Cheryl Lynn Allen at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Current assignment
- Superior Court of Pennsylvania
- Jurisdiction
- Pennsylvania · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Cheryl Lynn Allen
Judge · Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2008-present
- PA Family Sign up for emails PA Family ") Judge Cheryl Allen Of Counsel Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen is the first black woman to be elected to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, where she served from 2008 until her retirement in 2015.
- Retired Pennsylvania judge, the first African‐American woman elected to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and a former Pittsburgh public school teacher
- She also held the role of an adjunct professor in Criminal Justice at Point Park University for a decade
- After law school, Allen served as a staff attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and the Allegheny County Law Department, while also maintaining a private civil practice in employment discrimination and family law
Education
- She graduated from Schenley High School, obtained a B.A. in Elementary Education from Pennsylvania State University in 1969, and later received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1975.
Additional information
- She has also been recognized with multiple awards, including the Geneva College Serving Leader Award (2015) and Women of the Year honors from the Legal Intelligencer and Pennsylvania Law Weekly
- Born December 16, 1947.
- Date of birth: 1947-12-16
- Post‐retirement, Allen is Of Counsel with the Pennsylvania Family Institute and the Independence Law Center
- Trial judge in both family and criminal courts before her appellate appointment
- Active in community and legal advocacy, including founding Women Without Walls, a ministry promoting unity among women of diverse cultural and denominational backgrounds.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Exhibits
Statewide
For Pennsylvania Common Pleas proceedings, statewide Pa.R.J.A. 1910 prohibits courtroom broadcasting, recording, and photography unless an exception or judicial authorization applies; the rule also recognizes judge-authorized electronic or photographic means for evidence presentation.
the use of electronic or photographic means for the presentation of evidence201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom ↗
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Superior Court of Pennsylvania current judicial profile ↗201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View 201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom ↗