---
title: "Stella Tsai | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stella-tsai-pa-commonwealth-court"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-02"
---

# Stella Tsai

Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania · Commonwealth Court Judge

## Profile

- Court: Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
- State: Pennsylvania
- Role: Commonwealth Court Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-27

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### recording photography evidence presentation

Scope: 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.

Evidence excerpt: the use of electronic or photographic means for the presentation of evidence

[201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom](https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?d=&file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F201%2Fchapter19%2Fchap19toc.html)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.pacourts.us/courts/commonwealth-court-judges/judge-stella-tsai)
- [Official roster](https://www.pacourts.us/courts/commonwealth-court-judges/judge-stella-tsai)
- [Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania official judicial roster](https://www.pacourts.us/courts/commonwealth-court-judges/judge-stella-tsai)
- [201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom](https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?d=&file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F201%2Fchapter19%2Fchap19toc.html)
- [Wikidata: Stella Tsai](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q136722832)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania for the term 2026–2035, succeeding Ellen Ceisler
- Stella Ming Tsai is a Democratic Party judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, elected in 2025 and taking office January 5, 2026, after a career as a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge and practicing attorney
- She emphasizes accessibility, fairness, and independence in delivering justice

### Education



### Additional information

- Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to immigrant parents, Tsai grew up in Middletown and has called Philadelphia home since 1985.
- Before joining the bench, Tsai was a litigator handling criminal, civil, and transactional matters, and she volunteered in voting rights, immigrant rights, and civil rights work
- On the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, she presided over a wide range of cases, including criminal waiver trials, land use disputes, elections, wills, trusts, guardianships, custody, contracts, medical malpractice, and motor vehicle accident cases.
- She also served on local and statewide judicial committees and the Judicial Ethics Advisory Board