General Election 2019: Superior Court Judges

The Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform released its voter education guide for the two open seats on the Superior Court. The guide, along with completed candidate questionnaires, is available to voters at http://tiny.cc/ijajfz.

Four judges are running for two positions on Superior Court: Amanda Green-Hawkins (D); Daniel D. McCaffery (D); Megan McCarthy King (R) and Christylee Peck (R). King and Peck responded to questions about background.

Megan McCarthy King

Qualifications: My background is a well-rounded professional practice that has given me the requisite tools to become an effective Superior Court judge. Not only do I have significant trial experience, but I have appellate and academic experiences.

I have handled civil and criminal matters on appeal when I clerked for Justice Thomas Saylor of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. I have written appellate briefs and argued in front of both the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Courts. And I have taught education law and special education laws at the graduate school level.

I have a successful conviction rate in trials and prosecuting complex cases, including homicides, sexual and physical assaults, and intricate financial exploitation cases, perpetrated against the most vulnerable victims — children, the elderly, and care-dependent adults.

The district attorneys in Lancaster and Chester counties recognized my leadership and abilities and promoted me to supervisor and deputy of the most challenging units within the district attorneys’ offices. In 2018, I was named the Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Champion for Children, in recognition of my work to bring justice to our most vulnerable victims.

Q: What is your general judicial philosophy?

A: I view myself as a jurist who strictly applies the laws. I adhere to the philosophy that the Constitution is a fixed document that is meant to be taken literally, and the rules of lawmaking and governance are clearly defined within its context.

A judge’s duty is to apply the text of laws to cases — that is the judicial power that our Constitution vests in the courts. I had the opportunity to clerk for Justice Saylor after working as a prosecutor in Lancaster County. Saylor taught me the importance of following the law, statutes, and constitutions to an eventual decision rather than bending the law to a desired outcome.

Q: Please identify the current U.S. Supreme Court Justice that you believe most closely reflects your judicial philosophy and explain why.

A: Justice Samuel Alito is the current U.S. Supreme Court Justice that I believe most closely reflects my judicial philosophy. Alito is a strict constructionist and applies the laws as written.

Christylee Peck (R)

Background: I am a Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas Judge, having served since 2012, handling all areas of law (civil, family, PFAs, criminal, dependency, appellate). Before that, I was a prosecutor handling major felonies and child abuse cases. I am on the PA Supreme Court Commission on Judicial Independence and the PA Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children Board.

I am on the executive committee of the State Trial Judges Association. I am involved with several groups that improve the administration of justice statewide. I am the administrative judge for adult probation and dependency court in my county. I sit on the Prison Board. I teach advocacy as an adjunct professor at the Dickinson School of Law of Penn State. I am a member of the PBA, the Cumberland County Bar Association and its Inn of Court. I am an avid lover of outside adventure and dogs.

Q: What is your general judicial philosophy?

A: I respect the law, apply it equally to all and as written. As a sitting judge, I treat all who come before me with respect. I ensure due process to everyone. I explain the process to any litigant who is self-represented. I search for the truth of any matter and decide cases in consideration that all come to court with their own set of hardships, tribulations and strengths in life.

Q: Please identify the current U.S. Supreme Court Justice that you believe most closely reflects your judicial philosophy and explain why.

A: Justice Scalia — because he served with integrity, followed the Constitution and was always able to discuss intelligently differing points of view with his good friend Justice Ginsburg.

Commonwealth Court

The following judges are standing for retention in 2019:

Kevin Brobson

Patricia McCullough

Superior Court

The following judges are standing for retention in 2019:

Anne Lazarus

Judith F. Olson