Who Is Pennsylvania Judge Alice Beck Dubow? A Complete Profile
Judge Alice Beck Dubow is a Pennsylvania jurist with a legal career spanning decades and experience at both the trial and appellate levels. She has served on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania since January 2016, after previously spending eight years as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
Born into a legal family, Dubow is also the daughter of the late Judge Phyllis W. Beck, who made history as the first woman elected to Pennsylvania's Superior Court in 1983. Alice Beck Dubow later followed a similar path, joining the same appellate court more than three decades afterward.
Education and Early Legal Career
Dubow graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with her bachelor's degree in 1981. She earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1984. After law school, she began her legal career as a judicial law clerk for Judge Edward G. Biester.
Before entering the judiciary, Alice Beck Dubow spent about 23 years practicing law. Her professional background included private practice, government work and higher education. She worked with law firms including Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen and Fineman & Bach, served as a Divisional Deputy City Solicitor for Philadelphia and later became Deputy General Counsel at Drexel University.
Judicial Career
Dubow was elected to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 2007. During her eight years on the trial court, she handled jury and non-jury matters involving criminal, civil and juvenile cases.
In 2015, Pennsylvania voters elected her to a 10-year term on the Superior Court. She was sworn into office on January 4, 2016. The Superior Court is one of Pennsylvania's two intermediate appellate courts and generally hears appeals from the state's Courts of Common Pleas.
2025 Retention Election
Dubow's original Superior Court term was scheduled to end in December 2025. She appeared on the November 4, 2025, ballot in a retention election. Pennsylvania's Department of State later confirmed that the election results were certified and that a statewide risk-limiting audit selected Dubow's retention contest for review. Auditors examined 4,343 ballots across nine counties and confirmed the reported outcome.
The Pennsylvania courts' current listings continue to include Dubow among the Superior Court judges.
Professional and Community Work
Beyond her judicial responsibilities, Dubow has been involved with several professional and nonprofit organizations. Her affiliations have included the American Law Institute, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar associations, and various judicial committees. She has also served on nonprofit boards, including the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Carson Valley Children's Aid and the Opera Company of Philadelphia.
Why Alice Beck Dubow Matters
Alice Beck Dubow's career stands out because it combines extensive legal practice, trial-court experience and appellate judging. From private law and Philadelphia government to the Court of Common Pleas and Pennsylvania's Superior Court, her professional background covers several major areas of the state's legal system.
For anyone searching “Who is Pennsylvania Judge Alice Beck Dubow?”, the short answer is that she is a longtime Pennsylvania jurist whose career has included both trial and appellate courts, supported by more than two decades of legal practice before taking the bench.
