Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

Hon. Jackie Atherton Bernard is a judge for the Blair County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She was elected to the bench on November 7, 2017.

Atherton Bernard received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pennsylvania State University in 1990. She went on to complete a J.D. at Duquesne University School of Law in 1993. She was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania in 1994.

Prior to joining the judiciary, Atherton Bernard was a first assistant district attorney with the Blair County District Attorney’s Office, where she had worked for twenty-two years. She began as the county’s first child abuse prosecutor until transitioning into prosecuting major drug trials and then major homicide cases. In addition to her work there, Atherton Bernard handled civil litigation matters as an associate in the Law Offices of Joseph A Grappone for fourteen years.

At the beginning of her legal career, she worked as a law clerk for the Hon. F. Joseph Leahey, Jr. with the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas. Atherton Bernard has also taught as an adjunct professor at St. Francis University.

She was appointed to serve as a member of the Pennsylvania task force on child protection in 2012. Her civic involvement included Operation Our Town, the Home Nursing Agency, Inc, and Altoona Sunrise Rotary.

Growing up, her father worked as a lineman for Penelec, and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. At the time of her election, Atherton Bernard resided in Blair County with her husband, Greg, and their children.