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J. Michael Eakin
J. Michael Eakin was an associate justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He was first elected to the court as a Republican in a partisan election in 2001. His last term was to have expired in December 2018, but on March 15, 2016, he resigned from the bench in advance of his scheduled trial before the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline.[1] He had been suspended since December 2015 over inappropriate emails.
Eakin passed away on May 27, 2025.[2]
Education
Eakin graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 1970 with a B.A. in government. He received his J.D. from Penn State University’s Dickinson School of Law in 1975.[3]
Military service
Eakin served with Pennsylvania’s Army National Guard (28th Division) from 1971 to 1977.[3]
Career
- 2001-2016: Associate justice, Pennsylvania Supreme Court
- 1995-2001: Judge, Pennsylvania Superior Court
- 1984-1995: District attorney, Cumberland County
- 1975-1983: Assistant district attorney, Cumberland County[3]
Noteworthy events
Suspension
Eakin was suspended with pay from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on December 22, 2015, while a three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline considered allegations of misconduct. His emails allegedly contained photos of nude or topless women and crude jokes, including references to judicial employees. The Court of Judicial Discipline said the emails were inappropriate and insensitive.[4]
The scandal was known as "Porngate."[5]
In issuing a court order, the disciplinary court said the emails have "tainted the Pennsylvania judiciary in the eyes of the public."[5]
Attorney General Kathleen Kane, who discovered and exposed the emails, released a statement on December 23 that read in part:
| “ | I applaud the Court of Judicial Discipline for its decision yesterday. For more than a year, the contents of Justice Eakin’s emails were known to officials within the justice system. Some chose to look the other way while others chose to call them 'unremarkable.' None felt they merited any discipline and all have undermined the credibility in our justice system.[6][7] | ” |
| —Kathleen Kane | ||
Kane was alluding to a prior investigation that cleared Eakin of wrongdoing.[6]
Eakin's lawyer expressed disappointment in the suspension but was hopeful that a trial would be scheduled soon. The court order set a pretrial conference for January 21, 2016, in Harrisburg, Pa. In a loss, Eakin faces potential punishment, up to permanent removal from the bench.[4]
- For background on the email investigation, see: Charges against Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, 2015-2016
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2005: Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Widener University[8]
- 2000: Career Achievement Award, Dickinson School of Law
- 1990: Lecturer of Merit Award, National College of District Attorneys[3]
Associations
- 1975-1995: Faculty, National College of District Attorneys
- 1975-1995: National District Attorneys Association
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Cumberland County Chapter, American Inns of Court
- Member, American Judges Association
- Member, Brehon Society
- Member, Cumberland County Bar Association
- Member, Dauphin County Bar Association
- Member, Lancaster County Bar Association
- Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Faculty, Pennsylvania Bar Institute
- Past executive committee member/past president/member, Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association
- Past board of directors/past president/member, Pennsylvania District Attorney's Institute[9]
Elections
2011
Eakin was retained to the supreme court with 73.6 percent of the vote.[10]
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2011
Recommendation
- Recommended for Retention, Pennsylvania Bar Association[11]
2001
On November 6, 2001, Eakin defeated Kate Ford Elliott for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court with 52.4 percent of the vote.[12]
Noteworthy cases
Mayor retains power in Harrisburg
In a unanimous decision in 2010 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Eakin wrote that the city council in Harrisburg does not have the power to appoint members of the Harrisburg Authority. The court found that the city charter gives the mayor exclusive authority to appoint members, and the charter would need to be amended in order to change that.[13]
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Eakin received a campaign finance score of 0.47, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was more conservative than the average score of -0.02 that justices received in Pennsylvania.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[14]
Writing style
Eakin is known in legal circles for writing opinions in an unorthodox way. He enjoys writing his opinions in poetic verse. For more information on Justice Eakin's opinions in verse, please read "The Propriety of Poetry in Judicial Opinions" by Mary Kate Kearney.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Michael Eakin Judge OR Justice Pennsylvania. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- News: Justice Eakin back to rhyming ways, December 23, 2011
External links
- Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System, "Honorable J. Michael Eakin"
- Project Vote Smart, "Justice J. Michael Eakin (PA)"
Footnotes
- ↑ Penn Live, "Suspended Pa. Supreme Court Justice J. Michael Eakin resigns from bench in email scandal," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Penn Live, “Former judge, senator Walls dies at 80" accessed May 27, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System, "Honorable J. Michael Eakin," archived February 20, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mark Scolforo, ABC News, "Pennsylvania justice suspended over lewd emails," December 22, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jon Tuleya, Philly Voice, "Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Eakin suspended becase of Porngate emails," December 22, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 ABC27.com News, "AG Kane predicts email scandal will lead to more discipline," December 23, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Legal Span, "Hon. J. Michael Eakin," accessed December 24, 2015
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Justice J. Michael Eakin (PA)," accessed December 24, 2015
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Venango County Ballot," November 7, 2011
- ↑ Pennsylvania for Modern Courts, "Pennsylvania Bar Association Releases Ratings for Retention Elections," September 30, 2011
- ↑ Project Gutenberg, "Pennsylvania State Elections, 2001," accessed December 24, 2015
- ↑ PennLive.com, "Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling voids city council's power to make appointments to Harrisburg Authority," May 26, 2010
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania
State courts:
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts
State resources:
Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
