Her name itself sounded imposing and suggested gravitas but Frederica Massiah-Jackson was one of the warmest, most human and most accessible jurists we've ever known. She was rare in that one could simultaneously hold her in the highest esteem and with the greatest affection. A Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge, civil jury trailblazer, and the first African American president judge in Pennsylvania, she passed away last week at the age of 74 -- way too soon and way too early as far as we're concerned.
The Philadelphia Bar Association confirmed her death and extended its condolences. Indeed, it was the Association itself, under the courageous leadership of then Chancellor Mark Aronchick that championed her nomination to the federal bench during a stormy confirmation battle in 1998 that remains one of the Association's finest moments, even though Judge Massiah-Jackson's nomination regrettably never made it to the US Senate floor for a vote.
Judge Massiah-Jackson served on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas from 1984 to 2021, presiding over medical malpractice and products liability cases, commercial litigation, and personal injury matters. Born Nov. 10, 1950, she practiced law with the Philadelphia firm Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley before joining the bench. She also previously served as a law clerk to one of the giants of the profession (and a true trailblazer in his own right) Justice Robert N.C. Nix of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Bar Association Chancellor Katayun I. Jaffari remembered Massiah-Jackson as a historic figure in Philadelphia’s judiciary, whose commitment and leadership over decades broke barriers and inspired others.
“The Association joins the legal community in mourning this tremendous loss and offers our heartfelt sympathies to her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside President Judge Massiah-Jackson,” Jaffari said.
Judge Massiah-Jackson made history as the first African American woman to preside over civil jury trials in Philadelphia, the first African American president judge of any county in Pennsylvania, and one of only five women among the 80 judges on the Board of Common Pleas in 1980.
After graduating from the Philadelphia High School for Girls at 16, Massiah-Jackson earned a bachelor’s of arts from Chestnut Hill College and a juris doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
While at Penn, she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She was a lecturer for 10 years at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where she taught legal studies and business law.
Massiah-Jackson ran the largest common pleas court system in the state and one of the largest of its type in the country. She led Pennsylvania's First Judicial District, overseeing 130 judges, 2,500 employees and a $110 million budget. She strengthened public trust in the courts and promoted fairness by raising pay for court-appointed counsel, implementing a mitigation protocol for death penalty cases, opening the First Judicial District Information Center, and launching programs to advance race and gender equity in the courtroom.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas H. Jackson III. She is survived by her children, Julia L. Jackson and Thomas H. Jackson IV, and other family members and friends.
Services will be held Wednesday, Sept. 10, at St. Malachy Church, 1429 N. 11th St.
A viewing will be held at 10 a.m. A requiem mass will be held at 11 a.m.
Wood Funeral Home Inc., is handling the arrangements.
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