The Honorable Marilyn J. Horan has been a United States District Court Judge since October 2018. She was a Common Pleas trial judge in Butler County, Pennsylvania from June 1996 until October 2018. Judge Horan has presided over all matters of the United States District Court and Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court jurisdiction.

In addition to her judicial service, Judge Horan has contributed to the Commonwealth through her service on the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, the Judicial Conduct Board, and the Pennsylvania State Trial Judges Education Committee. She has also lectured for many educational programs, locally and statewide.

Judge Horan is a 1979 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, School of Law. She received her Bachelor of Science degree, Magna Cum Laude, from the Pennsylvania State University in 1976. She also completed the General Jurisdiction program at the National Judicial College in Nevada in 1997. She was formerly a partner in the law firm of Murrin, Taylor, Flach and Horan from 1979 until 1996. From her 17 years of general legal practice and 29 years on the bench, Judge Horan brings substantial experience and capability to her profession. She has been active in local and state professional and civic organizations throughout her career.

Judge Horan has also received special recognition for her service. In 2014, she received the Anne X. Alpern Award from the PA Bar Association, Women in the Profession Committee. In 2012, she received the PA Bar Association’s Pro-Bono Service award and the Moraine Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America’s Distinguished Citizen Award. In 2006, the Women’s Bar Association of Western PA presented her with the Susan B. Anthony Award. In 2005, the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission presented her with an Outstanding Leadership Award. In 2004, she received the State Trial Judges Association’s President’s Award. In 1998, she received the Woman of Distinction Award from the Soroptimist International of the Americas. In 1996, she was presented with the Hestia, Outstanding Woman Service Award, from the Domestic Violence Services of Butler. Judge Horan is very highly respected and regarded for her legal and judicial capabilities. Her professional character is best represented through her hard work, dedication, and ethical service to those whose interests she has served throughout her career.

Marilyn J. Horan and her husband have four children. Most leisure time is spent with family, enjoying snow and water skiing and related activities. In 2007, 2005 and 1999, she and her husband received the Parents of the Year Award for Butler County from the National Parents' Day Foundation in Washington, D.C.