On April 28, 2025, Bob Kuhl, who has been an active member of Coudersport Rotary Club for years but was unable to attend meetings until his recent retirement, spoke about his role as Clerk for PA Supreme Court Judge Sally Mundy.

Judge Mundy served on the PA Superior Court from 2010 to 2016 and has been with the PA Supreme Court from 2016 to the present.

Prior to oral argument, the role of a law clerk is to prepare for the Judge/Justice a bench memo, summarizing the issues and arguments of the parties and perhaps suggest questions and preferred outcomes. If a Judge gets a writing assignment, a clerk prepares a draft Opinion based on the Judge’s position and vote.

As Clerk, Bob’s job was to research the relevant law and write a memo or draft opinion. A clerk can make a recommendation. The memo is revised with back and forth between the clerk and the justice.

Bob says the most challenging part of clerking is writing an opinion he doesn’t agree with. He has to find precedent to back up the judge’s opinion. A judge has several clerks. One is Chief Clerk, to keep track of assignments. Bob loves researching and writing, which is like being a student.

Thank you, Bob, for your interesting and informative presentation, your active membership in Coudersport Rotary Club, and congratulations on your recent retirement