Montgomery County Swears In First Openly Gay Judge

NORRISTOWN, PA - It was a historic day in Montgomery County on Wednesday for civil and LGBT rights as the county’s first ever openly gay judge was sworn in.

Daniel J. Clifford, 56, officially joined the 22 member bench before a crowd of more than 200 friends and supporters.

“I am very mindful of the historical significance of this event,” he said, according to The Intelligencer. “I have never been a parade marcher or a flag waver. I have always been a believer that acceptance is accomplished one step at a time, one person at a time, one group at a time and that is exactly what (spouse Jonathan A. Weinhold) and I have done during the last 22 years of our lives.”

Clifford has been a mainstay in the legal LGBT community for quite some time. During the 1990s, he and his husband were frequently the only gay couple at bar association meetings, according to CBS Philly

Clifford’s background is in family and domestic law, and he has been a partner at the Weber Gallagher law firm, according to Montgomery County Dems.

He has also advocated for improvements to the family court system and diversity in law practice. He is the 2014 recipient of the Pro Bono Award from the Pennsylvania Bar.

Clifford has been chair of the Zoning Hearing Board in Springfield since 1996, presiding over hundreds of evidentiary hearings in that time.

Over the years, Clifford said the bar association brought him and his husband acceptance and friendship, things that were much harder for a gay couple to find 20 years ago.

Clifford’s term of 10 years launched with his swearing-in. He was joined on the bench by Todd Eisenberg and former Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.

Image courtesy Montgomery County Dems.