With only five months in her term, interim Philadelphia District Attorney Kelley B. Hodge—the first black female head of the state's largest prosecutor's office—vowed to repair the reputation of the office tarnished by her predecessor, Seth Williams.

“This is our restoration period,” Hodge told the audience packed into City Hall's ceremonial courtroom for her swearing-in Monday afternoon, adding that it was time for city prosecutors who worked under Williams to “look at adversity in the rearview mirror.”

The decision to appoint Hodge was made July 20 by a majority vote from the city's Board of Judges, which consists of all the judges on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The judges selected Hodge out of 13 potential applicants through a confidential vote.