Everyone is entitled to dignity and respect, people have a right to due process, and the government should help and serve the people – especially those who may lack the resources to fully participate in our society and economy. On the bench, I would see people in light of their full lives and not reduce them to the moment in time that is before the court. This view would help me be a better administrator of justice as outcomes must be retrospective and prospective at the same time.
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
I first met Amanda back in her County Council days when she sponsonered the legislation to create a County Human Relations Commission and included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. I loved that about her – diving in on a topic that shouldn’t be complicated, but most definitely was. She prevailed as did we all. I’m pleased she’s now seeking to serve again.
Name: Amanda Green-Hawkins
Pronouns: she/her
Office Sought in This Election: Court of Common Pleas
How do you describe your identity? I am a Black woman.
Tell us about your Allegheny County. What is a hidden gem most people might not know about?
The Stanton Heights neighborhood is a great place to live. People often ask me where it is. The neighborhood is hilly which makes for great exercise for walkers, runners, and bicyclists, and it’s on the bus route. It is right above Lawrenceville and close to East Liberty, Bloomfield, Garfield and other East End neighborhoods, and only a 10-15 minute drive to downtown, without crossing a bridge or going through a tunnel. Pittsburgh Public Schools Sunnyside Elementary and Dilworth are in or nearby, and you can hear children laughing and playing outside – when the weather warrants. A new supermarket just opened nearby, and two pharmacies are nearby as well. It was also at or near the top of the list for Pittsburgh’s safest neighborhoods.
Voting rights, the right to choose, due process and every other right we have are enforced in our courts, and we need judges who will stand up and not fold when it comes to following the law. As a woman of color, every right I have is because of legislation or a Constitutional amendment. I want to fulfill my obligation to help preserve and protect our Constitutional democracy.
Questions and Answers
What legislative accomplishment from your time on County Council gives you the most pride?
The ordinance prohibiting discrimination against people based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression gives me the most pride, but it is bittersweet. The ordinance was passed 15 years ago, and there are only four counties in PA that have such an ordinance. Also, there continue to be a number of disparities for people who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. There is still a higher likelihood of being unemployed/underemployed, being unhoused/homeless, less access to healthcare, among other things due to discrimination. The disparities are higher for those who are in the intersections of race and LGBTQ+ identity. There is still so much to be done for equality.
After serving on Council for two terms, you left public service but returned to politics in a bid for 2019 Superior Court judge. What led you to now seek a seat on the Court of Common Pleas?
Our courts are the sentinel for our rights and laws which stem from our Constitutional democracy. We need judges who will not allow our laws and our Constitutional rights to be summarily disregarded by an unchecked executive branch of government. We’ve recently seen people fired without due process, attempts to unilaterally rescind birthright citizenship and other things that are not in line with our laws and regulations. Voting rights, the right to choose, due process and every other right we have are enforced in our courts, and we need judges who will stand up and not fold when it comes to following the law. As a woman of color, every right I have is because of legislation or a Constitutional amendment. I want to fulfill my obligation to help preserve and protect our Constitutional democracy.
Please tell me about your familiarity with the LGBTQ community in Allegheny County.
I’m a member of Stonewall Democrats to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Until about a year or so ago, I was on the Advisory Board of New Voices and on the Board of Women’s Law Project. Both of these organizations advocate for equality for Allegheny County’s LGBTQ+ community. Also, members of the LGBTQ+ community have asked for my legal advice regarding personal concerns.
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?
Conversion therapy, child custody and gender-affirming care are recurring concerns that have come to my attention. First and foremost, the court must not condone any practice that harms people who are LGBTQ+ in an attempt to “cure” them.
With child custody, in the case where an unmarried partner is claiming a parental right that is not based on giving birth or adoption, then the best interests of the child must be weighed and it is within the court’s authority to grant custody based on those considerations, including where someone has essentially acted as a parent in caring for a child.
With gender-affirming care, there is a bill pending in the PA House that would be a de facto ban on gender-affirming care for minors by making doctors risk license revocation for providing the care; however, the courts are not generally qualified to second guess a doctor’s determinations and provision of care to his/her/their patients in this private healthcare matter.
What have you personally and professionally done to protect trans kids?
I work with our Local Unions to draft and negotiate contract language to bargain for health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. In my personal life, I have counselled a private school’s administration, pro bono, on how to make the school environment safe for trans kids and how to prevent potential threats/harms from bullies.
Tell us about an underappreciated or little known asset in the Court of Common Pleas?
There are resources for judges to help improve access to justice for people with autism. This is particularly important because they are much more likely to be involved with the courts, and more likely to have adverse outcomes.
Is the Court of Common Pleas a County level or State level of government?
It’s state level.
Please summarize how the Court of Common Pleas is funded,
The Commonwealth and the County each provide taxpayer dollars for the general court operations, and the federal government may provide federal taxpayer dollars for specific projects. The funds from court fines and fees support costs for the court computer system. There are also private grant funds for special projects.
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?
Recognize the problem, call it what it is and do not ignore it. It is legal discrimination.
The PA Human Relations Commission does consider sex to include sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression in its prohibition against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation, and that is the current state of the law as administered and enforced by this Commission. It would apply to this discrimination.
Discuss with the legislature the need to address and rectify this space where discrimination is permitted to occur with appropriate legislation.
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?
As a judge in the court of common pleas, any imbalance must be considered in light of peoples’ right to due process. Anything that hinders due process is untenable. Imbalances must also be considered in light of peoples’ ability to access justice. Where access to justice is limited, it will be important for me to make sure that people are informed about available resources and at times, it may be incumbent upon me to make sure those resources are provided. Finally, imbalances must be checked for any disparities in outcomes that are based on race and gender. Those disparities would need to be brought to light and rectified.
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?
Treating people with dignity and respect one case at a time. Everyone’s case is probably the most important matter to them and a judge needs to make sure they are fully heard. A judge should view peoples’ lives holistically, and not in isolation based on the matter before the court. The judge’s decision will impact peoples’ lives for the rest of their lives, and that includes every aspect of their lives, relationships and roles, which need to be considered as well.
You describe yourself as a union lawyer. What does that mean and how does it impact your work on the bench?
Everyone is entitled to dignity and respect, people have a right to due process, and the government should help and serve the people – especially those who may lack the resources to fully participate in our society and economy. On the bench, I would see people in light of their full lives and not reduce them to the moment in time that is before the court. This view would help me be a better administrator of justice as outcomes must be retrospective and prospective at the same time.
Are the courts fully unionized? Please explain.
No. Generally, the judges and management jobs in the court are not unionized because people in those roles work on behalf of the court’s interests as an employer. It is the non-management jobs that usually can be unionized, based on the employees’ decision to unionize or not.
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 team includes a white male under 40, a senior white female, and a Black woman under 40 who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Why did you agree to complete this Q&A?
It is an opportunity to give voters insight into my background and perspectives, and it gives me an opportunity to understand what is important to the community.
The ordinance prohibiting discrimination against people based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression gives me the most pride, but it is bittersweet. The ordinance was passed 15 years ago, and there are only four counties in PA that have such an ordinance.
Endorsements, Socials, and Summary
Tell us about your endorsements.
United Steelworkers, Laborers, Operating Engineers, Boilermakers, Pitt College Dems, Hon. Summer Lee, Hon. La’Tasha Mayes, Hon. John Inglis, Hon. Nick Pisciottano, Hon. Ed Gainey, Hon. Rachael Heisler, Hon. Khari Mosley, Hon. Daniel Lavelle, Hon. Theresa Kail-Smith, Hon. Bob Charland, Hon. Erika Strassburger, Hon. Bobby Wilson
Please list your social media accounts and your campaign donation links.
Facebook VoteAmandaGreenHawkins
ActBlue secure.actblue.com/donate/amandagreenhawkinscommonpleas
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for the opportunity to complete this questionnaire.
Thank you, Amanda.
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
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