Judges serve the entire population of Allegheny County. It is incredibly important that I speak to and seek out the endorsement of the people that I would serve if elected. Part of understanding other peoples lived experiences is to look at things from a different perspective.
Meet the Candidate
Welcome to the 2025 election season series ‘Political Q&A’ – interviews with candidates throughout Pennsylvania. Since 2013, we’ve published nearly 150 of these interviews. We use an email Q&A format to allow the candidates to speak directly to you, the readers.
Candidates can be anywhere in Pennsylvania running for any level of office. Please note that these are not necessarily endorsements, more of an opportunity for candidates to connect with the LGBTQ community, progressives neighbors, and others with an interest in Pennsylvania. If your candidate would like to participate, contact us pghlesbian at gmail dot com. We welcome candidates at all levels of government across the entire Commonwealth. We publish in the order that they are returned and will accept Q&A’s until Election Day.
Please note that Pennsylvania has over 500 school districts. We’d like to talk with candidates in any one of them. Tell your district’s story statewide.
Important to note that I do not edit the responses, including their framing of LGBTQ identities.
These Q&A’s are lengthy because there is a lot of ground to cover. This year, I created about 20 questions per candidate. This is and should be a deep dive because you deserve as much information as possible.
By participating in this Q&A series, candidates are saying that they
- are an LGBTQIA+ ally, specifically supporting equality and dignity for transgender persons
- identify as pro-choice
Sarra reached out to me in mid-January (we all know I love when candidates approach me) giving me a reason to take an early look at her campaign. She works two fulltime jobs and raises her family. That’s a level of skill many of us don’t have and suggests she’d identify with more of the folx in her courtroom than others. I’ve rarely had a male candidate acknowledge their familial role. Sarra’s responses about mental health, pardons, and volunteerism really stand out.
Name: Sarra Terry
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Office Sought in This Election: Court of Common Pleas
How do you describe your identity? Cisgender female.
I’ve worked really hard to advocate for more individualized treatment options for people suffering from mental health issues. I have found that the “one size fits all” approach has not been particularly successful. I always ask the court to consider allowing my client to pursue treatment through a provider of their choosing.
Tell us about your Allegheny County. What is a hidden gem most people might not know about? Allegheny County has so many hidden gems but my favorite is my hometown of Millvale. It has grown into such an eclectic neighborhood with so many great storefronts and entertainment spots. It has been amazing to watch that town come alive. The thing that I am most proud of is that my hometown has become welcoming to everyone.
What professional accomplishment gives you the most pride? I am most proud of my work assisting people with pardon applications. Many of my clients have been able to achieve long-term recovery from substance abuse. While in active addiction, many were arrested and convicted of non-violent offenses. These convictions prevent them from pursuing employment opportunities, renting or buying homes and volunteering for their children’s school activities. Pardons give these individuals an opportunity at redemption and a chance to build a successful and rewarding life. Getting them through the most tedious part of the application and counseling them on how to prepare for the process reduces their stress and allows them to continue focusing on recovery. While I always enjoy getting the phone call from a client letting me know that the pardon was granted, getting a call several years later with an update about how the pardon changed their life is extremely rewarding.
You work as special counsel at Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C and serve as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Paul E. Cozza, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Family Division. They both seem like full time jobs. Help our readers understand how you balance those roles. These are both full time jobs, but I have been able to balance them because my role as a judicial law clerk allows for me to write judicial opinions in the evenings, weekends and in between court appearances. My role as Special Counsel requires me to attend court hearings that are often spread out throughout the day. Time management can be challenging some days, but I have always found a way to make it work. I’ve been working since I was a teenager. I worked a full-time job while I attended the evening program Duquesne University School of Law. I am married and have two small children, so I have become well versed in multitasking and creating a hierarchy of priorities. This has allowed me to have a nice work/life balance.
Please tell me about your familiarity with the LGBTQ community in Allegheny County. While I not a member of the LGBTQ community, I have always considered myself to be an ally. I have many friends and family members in the LGBTQIA+ community. I have represented members of the community for a variety of reasons throughout my career. In addition, my work in the Family Division has provided me with training and courtroom experience with LGBTQIA+ kids.
Based on this, what do you understand to be our current top LGBTQ concerns and priorities for the Court of Commons Pleas? How will you respond to those priorities? Unfortunately, so many basic human rights, specifically those of the LGBTQIA+ community have come under attack. I think the most pressing concern is the safety and welfare of LGBTQIA+ kids. I know that they are at a much higher risk of suffering from mental health issues and committing suicide. My hope would be that in my court, I could offer children a safe, inclusionary space and connect them with treatment options if they were suffering from mental health issues. It would be optimal to offer these services through both the Adult Family and Juvenile Court systems.
What have you personally and professionally done to protect trans kids? I have worked closely with the judge to create a welcoming environment for trans kids. It is an expectation that all of the court staff and attorneys to refer to children by their preferred name. It makes a tremendous difference when trans kids feel respected and heard in their court cases. From a personal standpoint, I’ve tried to learn as much as I can about issues in the trans community so I am mindful of the issues facing trans kids and their lived experiences.
Tell us about an underappreciated or little known asset in the Court of Common Pleas? One of the Family Division Judges has worked tirelessly over the last several years to create the Children’s Room in the Family Division Courthouse. This is a space where litigants can bring their children while they attend court hearings in the building. There is a team of wonderful childcare providers in the room. This space has something for children of all ages and has a special sensory room. Court hearings are incredibly stressful for all of the parties involved but children are often impacted the most. Having this resource to combat some of those issues has been incredibly helpful. If elected, I would support the expansion of this resource and would also like to add a social worker to the staff.
Is the Court of Common Pleas a County level or State level of government? The Court of Common Pleas is a function of county government. However, this court falls under the umbrella of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. This system oversees all 60 judicial districts in the Commonwealth. Judges are state employees, but their personal staff and the court staff are all county employees. Much of the financial burden has fallen on the individual counties to pay operating costs despite these courts falling under the state system.
Please summarize how the Court of Common Pleas is funded. The courts are funded in a variety of ways including state and federal funding. The majority of state funding is derived from state tax revenue. Allegheny County also allocates millions of dollars a year to pay court employees and for the court’s operational needs. A small portion of the court is funded by court costs and fines paid into the system by litigants.
In about 70% of Pennsylvania, it is legal to discriminate against people based on gender identity and sexual orientation – to fire us, to refuse to rent to us, even to deny to serve us in a business. The few protections we have come from municipal ordinances, court rulings, and executive decisions none of which carry the weight of legislative action by the General Assembly. Name three things your office will do to address the fallout of this legalized bigotry? The most important thing a judge can do is to recognize their own implicit bias. It is important that judges recognize litigant’s lived experiences and how discrimination has affected them and their families. If elected, I would promote diversity and inclusivity in my courtroom. I would treat everyone with respect and dignity. I would also continue to encourage my local legislators to pass legislation that would protect the LGBTQIA+ rights.
Every school kid learns that we have three branches of government – executive, legislative, and judicial. We also have three levels of government – local, state, and federal. Democracy is supposed to rest at the intersections of these branches and levels. Those intersections also include people – citizens, residents, voters, workers, neighbors. It can be overwhelming when the balance of power is heavily tilted in one direction. What three specific actions will you take to address this imbalance from your office should you be elected? If elected, I would interpret the law and the meaning behind it. I would also be mindful of the precedent set by the Pennsylvania Superior, Commonwealth and Supreme Courts. These courts are the ones who can create caselaw and interpret the plain language of statutes. I would do everything in my power to ensure that our long-held system of checks and balances would remain intact.
Our nation is in turmoil. Still, Court business continues – crimes adjudicated, custody decisions made, disputes and grievances addressed. Our lives move forward, facing life changing personal legal battles in this larger context. How does a judge balance this cognitive dissonance? Judges must be able to give litigants their full and fair attention. These decisions affect people’s freedom, family and finances and people deserve to be heard. The political climate is ever changing but the judiciary must remain steadfast in the administration of justice. Courts are the first line of defense when other branches of our government overstep their boundaries. Judges still must remain vigilant in their oath to support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth.
You reference “championing trauma-informed practices in court.” Please give an example of one existing practice you championed and one new practice you will champion if elected. In my role as a criminal defense attorney, I’ve worked really hard to advocate for more individualized treatment options for people suffering from mental health issues. I have found that the “one size fits all” approach has not been particularly successful. I always ask the court to consider allowing my client to pursue treatment through a provider of their choosing. If elected, I would continue this practice because the goal has to be that we provide litigants with services to address underlying issues like trauma. Litigants should be able to pursue different types of psychotherapies like Cognitive Processing Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or any other type that could provide a benefit.
Your website does not list your community volunteer/service activities or anything beyond your educational and professional accomplishments. Was that a deliberate choice? I volunteer with the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and at local events in my community. I also volunteer with a group that promotes diversity and inclusivity but have been deliberate in not including the name. The current political climate is such that I would not want to draw any more attention to the group because they do work with several corporations in the Pittsburgh area. I started volunteering as a way give back and not for recognition or for any specific purpose. While I understand that this information may be important to a voter, I also am steadfast in my belief that doing the right thing should not be exploited for favor or perception.
There’s a clear need to actively create space for women, especially Black women and other women of color, in elected office AND on campaign and legislative staffs. These are issues of representation and realities. Tell us about your campaign team. My campaign manager is a Jewish woman, and the majority of my volunteer team is women. We all have different backgrounds and lived experiences. I value all of their opinions and seek out their advice regularly. I do also have men on my campaign committee but have purposely chosen a female driven group.
Why did you agree to complete this Q&A? Judges serve the entire population of Allegheny County. It is incredibly important that I speak to and seek out the endorsement of the people that I would serve if elected. Part of understanding other peoples lived experiences is to look at things from a different perspective. I have found many of the questions from LGBTQIA+ groups and organization to be incredibly inciteful. These questions have also helped me to better understand many of the issues facing the LGBTQ community today.
Tell us about your endorsements. I was one of only three candidates to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood. I have also been endorsed by Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis and Senators Jay Costa, Wayne Fontana, Nick Piscittano and Retired Senator Jim Brewster. I have also been endorsed by several labor unions.
Please list your social media accounts and your campaign donation links. www.voteforsarra.com Facebook- Vote for Sarra, Common Pleas
Is there anything else you’d like to add? My personal and professional experiences have allowed me to find places in our court system that need improvement. Treatment options for people suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues must be expanded and individualized if we are going to make any real progress. I take these concerns seriously because I’ve had family members, friends and clients get lost in the system and not make real progress to achieving recovery. I want to build a better court system so that we can build a better community.
Thank you, Sarra
I have worked closely with the judge to create a welcoming environment for trans kids. It is an expectation that all of the court staff and attorneys to refer to children by their preferred name. It makes a tremendous difference when trans kids feel respected and heard in their court cases.
Other Q&A’s
Other Q&A’s in this election cycle series. You can read previous cycle Q&A’s here. If your candidate would like to participate, please contact us pghlesbian at gmail dot com.
The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Lauren Leiggi, Candidate for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Amy Mathieu, Candidate for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Matt Rudzki, Candidate for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Amy Bridges, Candidate for New Castle School Director
The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Sarra Terry, Candidate for Allegheny Court of Common Pleas
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