Gov. Ed Rendell, during a visit to Pittsburgh tomorrow, is expected to name Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Cynthia Baldwin to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court.

Judge Baldwin would fill the seat that is being given up Dec. 31 by Justice Russell Nigro of Philadelphia, who in November lost his bid for another 10-year term on the high court.

Rendell spokeswoman Kate Philips declined to comment on the purpose of the governor's trip to the Allegheny County Courthouse, but several people in the Pittsburgh legal community said they are aware of his decision to name Judge Baldwin.

"Cynthia will be a terrific addition to the court,'' said Duquesne Law School professor Bruce Ledewitz, who was one of the other candidates who'd been considered for the job.

"You just can't beat a Duquesne Law School grad,'' he said about Judge Baldwin.

She also chairs the board of trustees at Penn State University, where she got her B.A. in English and her M.A. in American literature. She was the first black woman elected to the Allegheny County Common Pleas bench.

Judge Baldwin, a Democrat, will have to be confirmed for the high court by the Republican-controlled Senate.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.