The Honorable Dwayne Woodruff
Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
The Honorable Dwayne D. Woodruff is a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, presiding primarily over juvenile cases.
Woodruff co-chairs Pittsburgh’s SAFE Workgroup (Shared Accountability for Education) and serves on the Educational Success & Truancy Prevention (ESTP) Committee. He serves statewide on the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission and previously served on the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice as well, making recommendations to the state following the Luzerne County “kids for cash” scandal. Additionally, Judge Woodruff and his wife serve as the Pittsburgh co-chairs for the National Campaign to Stop Violence’s “Do the Write Thing Challenge”—a unique effort which gives middle school students the opportunity to communicate their thoughts on the impact of violence in their lives and to make personal commitments to reduce violence.
Prior to being elected to the bench, Woodruff played 12 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive back – #49, including playing in Super Bowl XIV as a rookie in 1980 and being named Steelers MVP in 1982. He earned his Juris Doctor (1988) from Duquesne University School of Law, during his professional football career, which allowed him to have a dual career for three years from 1988 to 1990, simultaneously practicing law with the Meyer Darragh law firm and playing football for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1997, Woodruff became a founding partner of the law firm, Woodruff, Flaherty & Fardo.
Woodruff and his family worship at Allegheny Center Alliance Church where he serves as an Elder, Growth Group Facilitator and a Marriage Ministry Mentor. Through his job, Woodruff considers it a privilege to be in a position to give guidance to youth, especially the young Black males who come before him in court. He feels his work with youth is a calling with responsibilities that don’t end with the job.