Courtroom No. 3
2 North High Street
PO Box 2748
West Chester, PA 19380-0991
Phone: 610-344-6970

Judge MacElree was born and raised in Chester County.  He received a B.A in Philosophy from West Chester University in 1970 and his J.D. Degree from the University of Maryland Law School in 1973.  He began the private practice of law in West Chester, associated at the firm of MacElree, Platt, Harvey.   He became an Assistant District Attorney in 1974, Deputy District Attorney in 1976, Chief Deputy District Attorney in 1979 and First Assistant District Attorney in 1981.  In 1983 he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms as District Attorney of Chester County, a position he retained until he was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas in late 1992.  He served on the Prison Board and on a number of Criminal Justice Committees at the state and county levels.  He served as President of the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association from 1989 to 1990.

After being appointed to the Court in 1992, he was elected to a ten-year term in November 1993.  He served on the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania from 1996 until 2000. He was a candidate for the Superior Court in 1997.

Judge MacElree has served in Family Court, Criminal Court and Civil Court.  He has been actively involved in the Court’s computerization project from 1977 to date.

Judge MacElree has lectured at various colleges, universities, schools, training academies and CLE courses for the Pennsylvania Bar Association.  He has been active in numerous community organizations.  He is married to Linda L. MacElree and has an adult daughter.