Bruce Castor
Bruce Castor is a former acting attorney general of Pennsylvania. He assumed the position on August 17, 2016, after Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) resigned following her conviction on criminal charges. At the time, Castor was serving as first deputy deputy attorney general—a position he was appointed to by Kane—and thus automatically succeeded her.[1]
Biography
Castor began his legal career in the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office in 1985, serving in various capacities until finally winning election as district attorney in 1999. He won re-election to a second term in 2003. Castor also ran for state attorney general in 2004 on the Republican ticket. A moderate, he garnered criticism from other members of his party for his close ties to some Democrats.[2][1] Castor won election to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2007, and again in 2011. After finishing his second term in 2016, Castor joined Attorney General Kathleen Kane's (D) administration in March 2016; she appointed him first deputy attorney general in July, and he automatically succeeded her upon her resignation in August 2016.[3]
Education
- A.B. Lafayette College, 1983
- J.D. Washington and Lee University School of Law, 1986
Political career
Attorney general of Pennsylvania (2016)
Castor succeeded Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) and became acting attorney general on August 17, 2016, after she resigned following her conviction on criminal charges. At the time, Castor was serving as first deputy attorney general, having been appointed to the position by Kane in July 2016. As first deputy, he automatically succeeded Kane.[1] His succession changed the partisan control of the office—Kane was elected as a Democrat, while Castor served in elected offices as a Republican from 2000 to 2016.
Governor Tom Wolf (D) nominated Bruce Beemer (D) on August 18 to serve as interim attorney general for the remainder of Kane's term; Wolf has the power to appoint an acting attorney general in the event of a vacancy. Beemer's nomination was subject to confirmation by the Pennsylvania State Senate, and Castor continued to serve until Beemer was confirmed and sworn in on August 30, 2016. The office was up for election in 2016 and the filing deadlines already passed, making both Beemer and Castor ineligible to run for a full term in the office.[1][4]
Montgomery County commissioner (2008-2016)
Castor served on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners from 2008 until January 2016.[2][1]
Montgomery County district attorney (2000-2008)
Castor won election as district attorney of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, serving from 2000 until 2008.[2]
Bill Cosby sexual assault case
Castor provoked controversy in 2005 when he declined to prosecute actor and comedian Bill Cosby after a former employee alleged that he sexually assaulted her. Castor contended that the move was intended to help the employee prevail in civil court, as he had told Cosby's attorneys that he would not press charges if Cosby promised not to plead the Fifth Amendment during the depositions for the civil case. "I came to the conclusion there was no way the case could improve, absent Mr. Cosby confessing," he said, adding, "I determined we would not prosecute Mr. Cosby, and that would then set off a chain of events that I thought would gain some justice for [Cosby's employee]." Cosby has been the subject of several sexual assault allegations across multiple states.[2]
In 2015, the case was reopened by newly-elected District Attorney Kevin Steele (D), who defeated Castor in his 2015 bid to retake the office. Steele filed felony sexual assault charges against Cosby just prior to the expiration of the statute of limits on the case.[2][5]
Elections
2015
Castor unsuccessfully ran for election to the office of Montgomery County district attorney, a seat he had previously held from 2000 until 2008. He was defeated by Democrat Kevin Steele.
2011
Castor won re-election to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.[3]
2007
Castor successfully ran for election to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.[3]
2004
Castor unsuccessfully ran as a Republican candidate for attorney general of Pennsylvania in 2004. He lost to Democrat Tom Corbett in the general election.[2]
2003
Castor won re-election as Montgomery County district attorney.[3]
1999
Castor won election to the office of Montgomery County district attorney.[3]
Noteworthy events
Co-led defense for former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial (2021)
- See also: Impeachment of Donald Trump, 2021
On January 31, 2021, former President DonaldTrump (R) announced Castor would co-lead his defense at his second impeachment trial. Castor, along with David Schoen, was selected a little more than one week before the trial began on February 9. Click here for more details on the proceedings.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bruce Castor Attorney General Pennsylvania. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
| Pennsylvania | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Attorney General of Pennsylvania official website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Intelligencer, "Ex-Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor steps in as PA Attorney General," August 17, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 BillyPenn, "Bruce Castor: Controversial prosecutor lucks into PA Attorney General gig," August 17, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 LinkedIn, "Bruce Castor," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ The Inquirer, "Governor nominates former state prosecutor Beemer to replace Kane," August 19, 2016
- ↑ BillyPenn, "Why Bruce Castor never charged Bill Cosby with sexual assault: ‘It was better for justice’," February 2, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kathleen Kane (D) |
Attorney General of Pennsylvania 2016-present |
Succeeded by Bruce Beemer (D) |
