Lisa Richette
Encyclopedia
Lisa Aversa Richette was an American lawyer and judge of the Court of Common Pleas
in Philadelphia County
. A lifelong Philadelphian, she was appointed to the bench in 1971. Noted for her outspokenness, she was a social activist particularly in the areas of homelessness, child welfare, and juvenile justice.
Richette was a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Girls
. She was one of the first female graduates of Yale University
law school. She became an assistant district attorney
, one of a handful of groundbreaking women in the local legal profession along with the future long serving District Attorney of Philadelphia Lynne Abraham
. Once thrown out of court for wearing a pantsuit
, Richette often wore pants and long dangling earring
s in court at a time when it was considered almost risqué for a female attorney to do so. In 1971, she was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County, being one of the first females to hold that office.
Richette was the author of the 1969 book on the juvenile justice system in Philadelphia, The Throwaway Children. In 1973 she founded the Child Abuse Prevention Effort (CAPE). She taught at Yale University
and Villanova University
. In 1984, she was awarded the Pearl S. Buck
International Award.
Late in her life, Richette made local headlines on three occasions as a result of being physically assaulted. She was mugged
in 1987, while "scores of people watched without helping her". In 2006, she was punched while waiting for her son to rent a video. In 2007, her son, Lawrence was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault
, and reckless endangerment in connection with a domestic dispute that occurred on August 21, 2007.
She died of lung cancer
at the Vitas Hospice in St Agnes' Continuing Care Center in South Philadelphia
, aged 79.
Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
The Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania .The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state....
in Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
-History:Tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area which became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized the area in 1655, but permanently lost control to England in 1674...
. A lifelong Philadelphian, she was appointed to the bench in 1971. Noted for her outspokenness, she was a social activist particularly in the areas of homelessness, child welfare, and juvenile justice.
Richette was a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Girls
Philadelphia High School for Girls
The Philadelphia High School for Girls, also known as Girls' High, is a public university-preparatory magnet high school for girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As its name suggests, the school's enrollment is all female....
. She was one of the first female graduates of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
law school. She became an assistant district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
, one of a handful of groundbreaking women in the local legal profession along with the future long serving District Attorney of Philadelphia Lynne Abraham
Lynne Abraham
Lynne Abraham served as the District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia from May 1991 to January 2010. She was the first woman to serve as Philadelphia's District Attorney. Abraham won election to that position four times. As District Attorney, she oversaw the largest district attorney's office...
. Once thrown out of court for wearing a pantsuit
Pantsuit
A pantsuit or pant suit, also known as a trouser suit outside the USA, is a woman's suit of clothing consisting of trousers and a matching or coordinating coat or jacket....
, Richette often wore pants and long dangling earring
Earring
Common locations for piercings, other than the earlobe, include the rook, tragus, and across the helix . The simple term "ear piercing" usually refers to an earlobe piercing, whereas piercings in the upper part of the external ear are often referred to as "cartilage piercings"...
s in court at a time when it was considered almost risqué for a female attorney to do so. In 1971, she was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County, being one of the first females to hold that office.
Richette was the author of the 1969 book on the juvenile justice system in Philadelphia, The Throwaway Children. In 1973 she founded the Child Abuse Prevention Effort (CAPE). She taught at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
. In 1984, she was awarded the Pearl S. Buck
Pearl S. Buck
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck also known by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu , was an American writer who spent most of her time until 1934 in China. Her novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932...
International Award.
Late in her life, Richette made local headlines on three occasions as a result of being physically assaulted. She was mugged
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
in 1987, while "scores of people watched without helping her". In 2006, she was punched while waiting for her son to rent a video. In 2007, her son, Lawrence was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, and reckless endangerment in connection with a domestic dispute that occurred on August 21, 2007.
She died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at the Vitas Hospice in St Agnes' Continuing Care Center in South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
, aged 79.