Early Life / Family
Judge McMaster is the son of the late Palmer J. (Bud) and Marie T. (McGettigan) McMaster. Judge McMaster was raised in Feasterville, he lived in Bensalem from 1979 until 2018 and has lived in Buckingham since then. He is married to Mary Ellen McMaster. They have four adult children.
Education
Judge McMaster attended Assumption Elementary School in Feasterville and graduated from Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster. He received his B.A. from Penn State and was awarded his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law in Camden. He engaged in the private practice of law in Newtown, PA prior to being appointed a Judge by Governor Rendell in October of 2010. He was subsequently elected to a full ten year term in 2011. He has served as the Administrative Judge of the Family Division since January 2014.
Career
During his legal career, Judge McMaster handled a wide variety of legal matters. He served as:
- Solicitor for the Bensalem Township School District
- Special Counsel for West Vincent Township
- Solicitor for the Phoenixville Regional Planning Committee
- Pennsylvania General Counsel for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
He handled legal work as outside counsel for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. He also represented many individuals and small businesses.
Judge McMaster served on the Lower Southampton Township Planning Commission and was the elected Township Auditor for Lower Southampton Township prior to his move to Bensalem in 1979. He served on the Board of Directors of the Delaware Valley Regional Finance Authority for three years. He served on the Bensalem Township School Board for ten years including three terms as Board President. He served on the Board of the Bucks County Technical High School for eight years. He also served on the Board of the Bucks County Schools Intermediate Unit for six years including serving as Vice President for one year and President for four and a half years. He served as President of the Bensalem Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce.
Current Positions
Judge McMaster currently serves as the President of the Bucks County Schools Intermediate Unit Art Education Trust. He served on the Business Partners Advisory Board for the James Michener Art Museum in Doylestown prior to be appointed a Judge.
Affiliations
He is a member of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations. He previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bucks County Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He currently serves as Vice-President of the Bucks County American Inn of Courts.