District Judge Beth Scagline Mills Sworn In For Fourth Term

Beth Scagline Mills was sworn in on December 17, 2025 by President Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh. She will begin her fourth term as District Judge on January 5, 2026.

Other district judges sworn in include Joseph Pero, who replaces retiring Judge Eugene Riazzi in McKeesport, and Candace Stockey Seymour, who replaces retiring Judge Ralph Kaiser in Brentwood. Jack Kearney of Oakdale was previously appointed and later won re-election. In addition to Judge Mills, incumbents sworn in include Michele Santicola in Coraopolis, Richard Daniel Olasz Jr. in West Mifflin, and Oscar J. Petite Jr. in Pittsburgh’s Wards 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Meet Judge Beth Scagline Mills

Judge Mills was appointed by Governor Ed Rendell and confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate on July 19, 2007. Prior to becoming a district judge, she worked as a trial attorney, practicing general litigation in both state and federal courts. She graduated with honors from Elizabeth Forward High School, Dickinson College, and Pepperdine University School of Law.

Throughout her judicial career, Judge Mills has been active in the Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania, serving on the Ethics Committee, Security Task Force, Court Administration, and Minor Court Rules. She has presided over 40 homicide preliminary hearings for Allegheny County and attends annual judicial updates in Harrisburg. She was also appointed to the Strategic Planning Task Force for Allegheny County Courts.

Before the hiring of Elizabeth Forward School Resource Officers, Judge Mills initiated Law Week programs in local schools, involving area municipalities and police departments. She has served as a merit badge counselor for the Scouts and has attended several Eagle Court of Honor ceremonies. She also initiated and continues to use community service programs as a method for defendants to reduce payment of fines and court costs.

Judge Mills has remained deeply involved in the community. She was inducted into the Elizabeth Forward Hall of Fame in 2011 and is a member of the 20th Century Club and the Elizabeth Forward Alumni Association. She serves as a board member of Entrust Services, which provides resources for individuals with disabilities. She previously served as vice president of the Womansplace Board of Directors and assisted with its merger into the Center for Victims of Violent Crime. Her past service also includes the Round Hill Cemetery Board and the Elizabeth Forward Student Aid Fund.

“The world has become a much angrier place in the past 17 years,” Judge Mills said. “The court has seen a rise in road rage and neighbor disputes. Additionally, we have had a surge in drug cases.”

Judge Mills’ district includes Elizabeth Borough, West Elizabeth, Elizabeth Township, and Forward Township. She presides over all criminal preliminary hearings, landlord-tenant complaints, civil cases under $12,000, traffic cases, and summary non-traffic cases.