[2] Williams earned a BA in political science from Dickinson College and a JD from Duquesne University School of Law.

[2] Williams worked as director of advocacy for the National Whistleblower Center, but was laid off in 2012 after attempting to unionize the small workforce.

[6] Weeks before the election, Republicans in the state claimed Williams did not meet the constitutional residency requirement and attempted to remove her name from the ballot.

They contended that since she voted in Maryland in the 2014 general election, she had not been a resident of Pennsylvania for at least four years as required by the state constitution.

[9][10][11] After months of controversy, the Republican leadership in the Senate decided against preventing her inauguration based on the documents produced by Williams.