Cynthia Baldwin

Cynthia Baldwin is a former justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She also served as the first general counsel for the Pennsylvania State University, and in that capacity, she gained some national recognition during the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Education

Cynthia Baldwin received both her bachelor's degree (in English) and her master’s degree (in American literature) from Penn State.^[1] After working as a teacher, English professor and assistant dean of student affairs at Penn State’s Greater Allegheny Campus, she subsequently earned her juris doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law.^[2] At Duquesne she was a member of the law review and is now a board member emerita.^[1]

Legal career

In 1983, Baldwin worked as the prosecuting attorney-in-charge in the Office of the Attorney General at the Bureau of Consumer Protection.^[2] She rose to the bench in 1989, when she became the first black woman elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Baldwin served in this office for sixteen years.^[3] Then, in 2006, she was appointed to the state Supreme Court by Governor Ed Rendell. She retired from the court in January 2008. After retiring from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but before becoming Penn State's General Counsel, she became a partner in the international law firm of Duane Morris, LLP. There, her focus was on appellate litigation and not-for-profit issues.^[2]

Continuing relationship with Penn State

Justice Baldwin is an alumnus of Penn State, and served as the president of its alumni association from 1989-91.^[4] She also served as Chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees from 2004-2007.

Sandusky Scandal at Penn State

In January 2010, she was recruited to come to Penn State as the University's first general counsel, establish the Office of General Counsel and assist in recruiting a permanent general counsel. In that capacity, she became involved in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. News reports in July 2012 indicated that Baldwin, in her capacity as General Counsel, recommended that then-Penn State president Graham Spanier reject calls for an independent body overseeing the school's athletic programs.^[5] Additionally, her role is being questioned in the case of the potential criminal cases against Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley. When Curley appeared before the grand jury, he told court officials that Baldwin was his attorney, but she stated that she was only representing the university on that occasion;^[6]

On April 9, 2013, Judge Barry Feudale issued a 16-page ruling rejecting Messrs Spanier's, Schultz's and Curley's request to omit Presentment 29 from the investigation.^[7] In denying the motion to throw out Justice Baldwin's testimony, Judge Feudale ruled that he did not have jurisdiction to quash the presentment but, if it were decided that jurisdiction did fall to him, that he did not believe Justice Baldwin's testimony violated any attorney-client privileges.^[7] Judge Feudale further stated in his Opinion:[w]hen attorney Baldwin appeared before this court with witness[es] Curley and Schultz, the court was aware attorney Baldwin was General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Vice President of PSU."^[8] Judge Feudale also stated that senior executives of an organization, like Mr. Schultz, Mr. Curley and Mr. Spanier, are usually represented by that organization's counsel. Judge Feudale further wrote that "Spanier, Curley and Schultz are "highly educated" men who had positions of considerable influence at PSU as well as inferentially, knowledge about important events that impact the reputation of the university; and it therefore strains credulity to infer that they were somehow deluded or misrepresented by attorney Baldwin. Judge Feudale went on to state that he believed that the defendants' motion "lacks merit in fact and law" ^[7]

In his Opinion, Judge Feudale confirmed that he was not advised, and he had no reason to believe, that Mr. Schultz and Mr. Curley were targets of the investigation.^[8] Judge Feudale also acknowledged that there was persuasive evidence that Mr. Schultz, Mr. Curley and Mr. Spanier withheld relevant evidence from Ms. Baldwin.^[8] Tim Curley, Penn State's former athletic director, and Gary Schultz, retired vice president for finance and business have been arrested and charged by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for allegedly perjuring themselves before the grand jury about what they knew about the Sandusky affair.^[9] The charges include perjury, obstruction of justice and endangering the welfare of a child. Mr. Curley, along with Mr. Schultz, Graham Spanier and now deceased Coach Joe Paterno has also been cited by the Freeh Report as engaging in a cover up of Sandusky's abuse activities.^[10]

Other activities

Justice Baldwin is a former Fulbright lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, where she lectured and conducted research on constitutional issues for the Zimbabwe Supreme Court prior to the changes made by President Robert Mugabe.^[3] She has also worked on many worldwide ethics issues including participating in anti-corruption projects for developing nations through the Brookings Institution.^[3]

Civic and Professional Activities and Not-for-profit Boards

• Director, Member of Audit Committee and Member of Safety, Health & Environmental Committee Koppers ^[11]
• Board member, Pittsburgh Chapter of National Association of Corporate Directors.^[12]
• Board member, Vibrant Pittsburgh.^[13]
• Advisory Board member, Penn State Greater Allegheny^[14]
• Cynthia Baldwin is active with the International Women's Forum and the International Association of Women Judges.^[15]

Publications

• “Combating Judicial Corruption in Uganda”, 2009^[16]
• “All About Family Court,” An Answer and Activity Book for Children in Court, 1999.^[17]
• "Avoiding Abuse, (of and under state and federal acts)," Pittsburgh Legal Journal, p. 1, Dec. 1994 ^[18]

References