Ronald D. Castille

Ronald D. Castille, the former Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia district attorney and wounded Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, died on November 4, 2026, at the age of 82. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania announced his passing the following day.

Born in Miami, Florida, on March 16, 1944, he graduated from Auburn University in 1966 with a degree in economics and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. On his 23rd birthday in 1967, while leading a rifle platoon of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines near Duc Pho, Vietnam, he was badly wounded when his unit came under attack. His platoon sergeant, Angel Mendez, shielded him and carried him to safety, giving his own life in the effort. Castille lost his right leg, received the Bronze Star with Combat V and two Purple Hearts, and was medically retired in 1968. He often said he lived his life in honor of Mendez and the others who did not come home.

After earning his law degree at the University of Virginia in 1971, he joined the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office under Arlen Specter and spent 14 years there, rising to deputy district attorney. Elected district attorney in 1985, he led the office from 1986 to 1991, and he helped lead the effort to build the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1993, he served on the court for more than two decades and was sworn in as its chief justice in January 2008. He wrote more than 400 majority opinions, helped steer the state's courts through lean budget years, and in 2013 created the Elder Law Task Force before retiring at the mandatory age of 70 at the end of 2014. Despite his injury he remained an avid golfer, skier and boater. He is survived by his wife, Susan Kilgus Castille, and his family.

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