The Hon. Rita Donovan Hathaway is President Judge of the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She was initially elected to the bench on November 4, 1997.
Over the course of her judicial career, Hathaway has held assignments in the Criminal Division, the Juvenile Division, and the Family Division. She currently presides in the Civil Division and the Orphans Division.
Hathaway earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston State College in 1972. She spent the next several years working as an elementary school teacher at Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville before completing a J.D. at Duquesne University School of Law in 1988.
After graduating from law school, Hathaway began her legal career as an assistant district attorney for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. She served in that capacity until her election to the bench, representing the county in all types of criminal matters as the Supervisor of the Child Abuse and Sexual Crimes Unit as well as Chief Trial Attorney.
Her memberships have included the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges (president) and the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Hathaway is one of six children. Her mother worked as a nurse and her father was a police officer for the City of Boston. She is an active member of Saint Barbara Church in Penn Township.
Hathaway is registered as a Democrat.