Karen Y. Simmons

Professional career

• Karen Yvette Simmons is a sitting judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court in Pennsylvania, serving a term that ends January 7, 2030
• In April 2026, Simmons was reported in The Philadelphia Inquirer to have intervened in a personnel dispute within the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office homicide unit
• Official address: Justice Stout Center for Criminal Justice, 1301 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
• Legal scholars cited in the report suggested the intervention could have raised judicial ethics concerns by blurring the line between the courts and the prosecutor’s office

Education

Additional information

• Simmons allegedly influenced DA Larry Krasner to reconsider a planned transfer of an assistant supervisor, involving City Council President Kenyatta Johnson
• You can search for cases involving Judge Simmons via the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System or the Philadelphia Municipal Court online case search tools