NORRISTOWN >> In recognition of his significant efforts to improve the administration of justice, Montgomery County President Judge Thomas M. DelRicci recently was awarded the Golden Crowbar by his peers.
“I don’t get surprised frequently, but I have to say I was surprised. It was a complete surprise,” DelRicci said Friday recalling the moment in July when the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges presented him with the prestigious statewide honor during the group’s annual conference. “It’s just gratifying to know that the efforts that we made as a court were recognized.”
DelRicci, installed as president judge in January, was honored for a program he spearheaded as the county’s administrative judge of the civil division to change the county’s civil courts from an attorney-driven system to a court-driven system, a process that forces lawyers to be prepared to go to trial in 18 months.
The effort has produced remarkable results and the county’s current civil trial inventory stands at less than 100 cases, according to court officials.
DelRicci, well-respected and known to always acknowledge county employees, said he shared the award with so many others.
“My name is on it because I was the administrative judge but it was clearly a team effort, including the judges and court administration,” said the 62-year-old jurist from the Ambler section of Whitpain Township. “It’s really something special for Montgomery County.”
DelRicci added the new civil trial court process works because it was a collaborative effort that involved all stakeholders.
“We brought together the lawyers who practice in our courts and the judges and the administrators and together we developed the program. So it was a group effort and everybody bought into it, which essentially guaranteed it was going to be successful. Everyone was part of the solution,” DelRicci said.
DelRicci was nominated for the Golden Crowbar Award by his peers. The Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges is an organization that promotes professional development among judges.
The Golden Crowbar is given to that county, court system or individual “who has significantly furthered the goals of the judicial system by implementing an innovative project or programs or by individual dedication to the court’s mission as public servants,” the plaque presented to DelRicci reads.
The Golden Crowbar, which now hangs on the wall of DelRicci’s office adorned with family photos, “symbolically recognizes significant efforts to improve the administration of justice by alleviating backlogs in the court system,” the plaque reads.
County Court Administrator Michael R. Kehs said the county’s civil division has come a long way during the last few years and that the innovative improvements designed by DelRicci for the processing of civil cases has resulted in a more streamlined, efficient and effective system for administering justice in the county.
“It’s a very prestigious award because there’s a lot of great programming going on across the state in all of our local courts and to have Judge DelRicci’s efforts singled out for the Golden Crowbar Award is a recognition of his accomplishment as well as the work of our Common Pleas Court,” Kehs said.
Late last year, the current 22-member bench unanimously voted to appoint DelRicci to be the county’s 19th president judge for a five-year term. DelRicci, a graduate of St. Joseph’s University who has been on the bench since 1998 currently presides in the family division.
While a county judge, DelRicci has presided over criminal, civil and family courts and has handled land-use matters. DelRicci previously served as president of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges and was instrumental in the founding of Judges Concerned for Judges, a peer assistance program for judges who are at risk as a result of substance abuse and mental illness.