Magisterial District Judge Gwenn S. Knapp was elected in 2003 to serve in West Chester’s newly created magisterial district. She graduated from Bucknell University in 1967, and lived in New York City before moving to West Chester with her three children in 1984 — one of whom is now an attorney, one a teacher, and one a computer scientist.

Previous to her election, she was owner of a small business communications company, and she is also an accomplished portrait artist.

It is her personal mission to ensure that everyone who enters her court in any capacity be treated with respect, that court procedures are followed accurately and proceedings conducted without any type of bias. Her goal is to hear each case on its merits, make sense of each case individually, and to apply the law fairly. She believes that respect for the Courts is fundamental to law and order, as is taking the law seriously at the level of minor crimes.

Her background in communications — and appreciation of the value of both clear communication and access to information — can be found in her court newsletter and website initiatives.

For more about Judge Knapp, click here for the article "Highlighting Gwenn S. Knapp, Magisterial District Judge" in The Journal, Special Court Judges' Association of Pennsylvania, November 2007, Volume XXX, No. 11.