Max Baer (judge)

David Max Baer[1] (December 24, 1947 – September 30, 2022) was an American judge who served as a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from the time of his election in 2003 until his death in 2022.

[9][10] Raised in Dormont, Baer and his parents and siblings were active with the Beth El Congregation in South Hills.

[11][12][13] A graduate of the Linsly Military Institute in Wheeling, West Virginia,[14] Baer earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971.

[16] In 1978, he represented three Pennsylvania State Police troopers who were being sued for illegal arrest by a suspect in a high-profile murder case.

[17][18] The civil case was dismissed by the federal court in May 1978 when "the suit was dropped because the plaintiffs did not want [the suspect] to face cross-examination," according to newspaper interviews conducted with Baer.

[21][22] Assigned to the Family Division of the court upon taking office in January 1990,[23] he issued rulings in adoption, child custody, and juvenile justice cases.

The ruling also approved the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's plan to extend the submission deadline for mail-in ballots in response to anticipated mail delivery problems by the United States Postal Service.

"[41] The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held a public memorial service for Baer on October 4, 2022, at the Charles J. Dougherty ballroom in Duquesne's Power Center.