Michael A. George
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2002 - Present
2021
23
Michael A. George is a judge on the Adams County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania.[1] He was elected in 2001 and took office in January 2002.[2] His current term expires in 2021. George ran for election to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015.[3] He won the Republican primary but was defeated in the general election.
Elections
2015
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2015
Pennsylvania's judicial elections included a primary on May 19, 2015, and a general election on November 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates was March 11, 2015.
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Kevin M. Dougherty |
18.5% | 1,079,835 | |
| Democratic | David N. Wecht |
18.4% | 1,070,568 | |
| Democratic | Christine Donohue |
18.2% | 1,059,167 | |
| Republican | Judith Olson | 15.2% | 887,409 | |
| Republican | Michael A. George | 13.6% | 796,124 | |
| Republican | Anne Covey | 13.6% | 795,330 | |
| Independent Judicial Alliance | Paul P. Panepinto | 2.5% | 144,403 | |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 | ||
| Total Votes | 5,832,836 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial General Election Results," November 3, 2015 | ||||
| Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Three seats, Republican Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Judith Olson |
22.1% | 177,199 |
| Michael A. George |
21.7% | 173,683 |
| Anne Covey |
20.2% | 161,680 |
| Cheryl Lynn Allen | 13.9% | 111,112 |
| Rebecca L. Warren | 11.7% | 93,688 |
| Correale Stevens Incumbent | 10.5% | 83,815 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 801,177 | |
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2015 Municipal Primary Unofficial Results," May 19, 2015 | ||
Recommendation
George was recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, who said he "is reported to possess a calm, professional and fair judicial demeanor and has a reputation as an excellent administrator."[4]
Endorsements
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Pennsylvania State Troopers Association[5]
- Firearm Owners Against Crime[6]
Race background
Three open seats were up for election on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015. Going into the primary, there were 12 candidates running for the court. One open seat was the result of the retirement of Chief Justice Ronald Castille in December 2014. The other two seats were made vacant by resignations. In May 2013, Justice Joan Orie Melvin resigned after her conviction for campaign corruption. The second resignation occurred in October 2014, when Justice Seamus P. McCaffery left the court due to both his implication in an FBI investigation involving the exchange of referral fees between his wife and several law firms, and his involvement in a scandal wherein sexually explicit emails were forwarded from his personal email account to court employees.
Justice Correale Stevens was appointed to the bench by Governor Tom Corbett (R) in June 2013 to replace Joan Orie Melvin. He ran unsuccessfully in 2015 to keep his seat on the court.[7]
Campaign finances in the primary
May reporting period
The candidates for the May 19 primary had $2,127,498.74 in cash on hand as of the last pre-primary reporting period. Michael A. George (R) had the most cash on hand at $497,325.16, while Rebecca L. Warren (R) had the lowest total at $2,574.97. The biggest contribution during this reporting period was $50,000 from Ronald Caplan, president of PMC Property Group, to Democratic candidate Kevin M. Dougherty.
| Pre-primary campaign finance, May 2015[8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Cash on hand ($) | Highest contribution ($) | Contributor(s) |
| Michael A. George |  Republican |
497,325.16 | 5,000 | Friends of Rich Alloway |
| David N. Wecht |  Democratic |
450,877.64 | 20,000 | Fairness PA |
| Kevin M. Dougherty | Democratic |
422,421.91 | 50,000 | Ronald Caplan, President, PMC Property Group |
| Anne Lazarus | Democratic |
224,663.64 | 5,000 | Fairness PA, Alan Ominsky |
| Anne Covey | Republican |
149,229.72 | 25,000 | Anthony & Catherine Misitano |
| John H. Foradora | Democratic |
137,130.66 | 10,000 | Monica Mitchell |
| Judith Olson | Republican |
111,688.92 | 25,000 | PA Future Fund |
| Christine Donohue | Democratic |
53,299.01 | 10,000 | Carpenters PAC of Philadelphia & Vicinity |
| Dwayne D. Woodruff | Democratic |
42,129.39 | 5,000 | Franco Harris, Former player, Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club |
| Correale Stevens | Republican |
18,777.49 | 20,000 | Alan H. Potamkin |
| Cheryl Lynn Allen | Republican |
17,380.23 | 10,000 | Fairness PA |
| Rebecca L. Warren | Republican |
2,574.97 | 500 | John Kasha |
April reporting period
Three candidates reported campaign receipts exceeding $500,000 in finance reports filed on April 7. Kevin M. Dougherty (D) took the cash-on-hand lead with $584,666.22 in the bank, followed by David N. Wecht (D) at $546,220.24 and Michael A. George (R) at $508,459.63. Eight of the nine remaining primary candidates totaled approximately $898,000 on hand by early April, with Rebecca L. Warren (R) having a negative cash balance. The fundraising advantage through March rested with Democratic candidates, who totaled $1.94 million on hand compared to $595,000 for Republican candidates.[9]
| Pre-primary campaign finance, April 2015[10] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Cash on hand ($) | Highest contribution ($) | Contributor(s) |
| Kevin M. Dougherty | Democratic |
584,666.22 | 100,000 | Local Union #98 I.B.E.W. Committee On Political Education |
| David N. Wecht | Democratic |
546,220.24 | 25,000 | Daniel Berger, Attorney |
| Michael A. George | Republican |
508,459.63 | 500,000 | Gary Lowenthal, Founder, Boyds Bears |
| John H. Foradora | Democratic |
391,074.05 | 100,000 | John H. Foradora |
| Anne Lazarus | Democratic |
262,093.08 | 75,000 | Anne Lazarus |
| Christine Donohue | Democratic |
184,727.00 | 5,000 | Commonwealth Heritage PAC, I.B.E.W. Local 5, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel and 13 individual donors |
| Anne Covey | Republican |
56,540.38 | 25,000 | PA Future Fund |
| Correale Stevens | Republican |
44,101.58 | 5,000 | Pennsylvania Society of Physicians Assistants, Gillespie, Miscavige, Ferdinand & Baranko LLC and four individual donors |
| Dwayne D. Woodruff | Democratic |
29,514.80 | 5,000 | Arthur J. Rooney II, President, Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club |
| Cheryl Lynn Allen | Republican |
17,135.00 | 10,000 | Eldora Ellison, Retired |
| Judith Olson | Republican |
842.06 | 1,000 | Carl G. Grefenstette, Director, Hillman Foundation |
| Rebecca L. Warren | Republican |
-2,668.35 | 5,000 | Rebecca L. Warren |
April 8 candidate forum
A candidate forum at the Free Library of Philadelphia on April 8 showcased candidate concerns over the influence of money in judicial elections. Five candidates participated in the forum: Anne Lazarus (D), John H. Foradora (D), David N. Wecht (D), Dwayne D. Woodruff (D) and Cheryl Lynn Allen (R). All of the candidates at the forum argued that more campaign cash presented issues for judicial races, though none believed that eliminating elections would be the right solution. Foradora argued that campaign cash potentially damages the court's integrity, while Woodruff suggested that higher finance requirements presented a barrier to entry for qualified candidates. Allen advocated for nonpartisan elections as a counterweight to increasing partisanship on the court.[11]
Failed nominations
In February 2015, Governor Tom Wolf (D) nominated both Ken Gormley, a law professor for the Duquesne University School of Law, and Judge Thomas Kistler of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas. However, after a Christmas email sent by Kistler and a halt to confirm Gormley, Wolf said he planned no further nominations to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.[12]
Kistler asked that his nomination be withdrawn after a report surfaced of a racially insensitive e-greeting sent out by Kistler to friends in 2013. The e-greeting depicted a black couple, with the male wearing prison garb behind a glass window and his female visitor speaking to him via a jailhouse phone. The caption attached to the e-greeting said, "Merry Christmas from the Johnsons," and Kistler sent the greeting with a subject heading of "Best Christmas card ever."[13]
Gormley's nomination came under scrutiny when reports of harassment complaints filed in 2006 against Gormley were circulated among the Senate Judiciary Committee. An internal Duquesne University report, which had been cited in a lawsuit filed against Gormley, recommended that Gormley not supervise women because he had shared "an unsubstantiated rumor" regarding a female professor. The suit was later settled by the female professor and the university.[13]
2011
George was retained to the Adams County Court of Common Pleas with a "yes" vote of 79.5%.[14]
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2011
Campaign themes
2015
| “ |
During his tenure on the bench, Judge George has been actively involved in an organizational transformation program that garnered the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence from the Department of Community and Economic Development and he has overseen the creation of a unified court budget to speed the budget approval process and remove bureaucratic bottlenecks. A former Executive Committee Member for the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, he received the organization’s Golden Crowbar Award for instituting programs to increase the collection of past-due fines, restitution and costs, thereby making victim financially whole and holding criminal offenders accountable. [15] |
” |
| —Mike George for Supreme Court (2015)[16] | ||
Education
George received a B.A. in political science and economics from Washington and Jefferson College in 1981 and a J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law in 1985.[17]
Career
- 2002-2021: Judge, Adams County Court of Common Pleas
- 1996-2001: District attorney, Adams County
- 1992-1996: Partner, Campbell, White & George
- 1985-1992: Associate, Campbell & White[2]
Awards and associations
- Executive Committee of the District Attorney’s Association
- Chairman of the Training Committee
- District Attorney’s Institute
- Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
- Child Abuse Coalition
- Governor’s Commission on Juvenile Crime
- Adams County member, Prison Board
- Civil Rules Committee
- Criminal Rules committee
- Administrative Judge for Probation Services[18]
- Fraternal Order of Police Lodge # 41
- Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge (Lodge # 1)[19]
Salary
As a Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas President Judge, George earns $174,026 annually.[20]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
George has been married for 25 years to Karen Shanebrook George, and they have two children.[18]
See also
External links
- Judge Mike George for Supreme Court
- Pennsylvania Courts, "Adams County Courts"
- Adams County, Pennsylvania, "Court of Common Pleas"
Footnotes
- ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "Common Pleas Judges"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pennsylvania Bar Association, "Michael A. George questionnaire," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedelection2015 - ↑ Pennsylvania Bar Association, "Judicial Evaluation Commission Releases 2015 Judicial Ratings," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ Beaver Countian, "Candidate For Pennsylvania Supreme Court Mike George Sits Down With The Beaver Countian," April 20, 2015
- ↑ Mike George for Supreme Court, "Endorsements," accessed August 21, 2015
- ↑ TribLive.com, "Much at stake as 16 vie for historic 3 vacancies on Pa. Supreme Court," January 11, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance Online Reporting," accessed May 18, 2015
- ↑ TribLive, "3 candidates for Pennsylvania Supreme Court have more than $500k on hand for primary election," April 7, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance Online Reporting," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Philly.com, "5 running for Pa.'s top court agree: Judicial races cost too much," April 8, 2015
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Senate GOP may not fill 2 vacancies on Pennsylvania’s high court," February 24, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Philly.com, "Two Supreme Court nominees under fire," February 22, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Unofficial Election Results - Court of Common Pleas, Retention"
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mike George for Supreme Court, "Biography," accessed August 21, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania Bar Association, "Michael A. George questionnaire," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Judge Mike George, "About," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfb - ↑ The Pennsylvania Code, "§ 211.2. Judicial salaries effective January 1, 2013," accessed June 24, 2013
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
