Attorneys compete for Export district judge seat
Oct. 26—Two Murrysville attorneys will vie to replace retiring District Court Judge Charles Conway in the Nov. 7 general election.
Republican Robert Klingensmith, 59, a practicing attorney for more than 20 years, said he likes the engagement district judges have with the communities they serve.
"You do everything," he said. "You do criminal law, small claims court, a contract case, an accident case. You name it, you're going to see it. And I have a lot of experience with a variety of those things."
Republican Judi Petrush, 55, will appear on the Democrat side of the ballot. Petrush has served as an assistant district attorney since 1995 and is the senior assistant district attorney for Westmoreland County's child abuse and sex crimes unit.
"I was proud and gratified when individuals from our district and from the legal community asked me to run," Petrush said. "I've spent three to four days every month practicing law before Westmoreland County's district judges. I've witnessed the impact they have on individuals who appear before the court, and on community safety."
Klingensmith pointed to his range of experience during more than two decades of practicing law.
"I'm an engineer who happens to practice law," he said. "I look at everything as an engineer. I think it gives me a different outlook than your typical attorney. Every day when I go to work, I do something a little different than the day before. And that's what the magistrate's office is — you have to sort of be a jack-of-all-trades in your legal and life experience."
Petrush said prosecuting cases on behalf of the people of Westmoreland County has given her a unique perspective.
"I view cases with an eye toward fairness for all, including the victim, the defendant, the police and witnesses," she said. "Likewise, a district judge must apply the law as it is written and treat all parties fairly."
Petrush said when it comes to experience in criminal law, her handling of thousands of cases over nearly three decades gives her an advantage.
"Court dockets show my opponent handles, on average, only about one Court of Common Pleas criminal case per year," she said. "And while I don't practice family law or litigate civil matters, criminal law certainly becomes entwined with other legal practice areas. Assistant DAs like me are asked by police officers to evaluate whether something is a criminal matter or one that should be pursued by a complainant in the civil division."
Klingensmith, who has been endorsed by the Murrysville GOP committee, said he can't criticize Petrush's record as a prosecutor.
"But she's worked for 28 years, only in the district attorney's office," he said. "My experience is wide and deep. She's never done any civil law, family law, she's not probated a will, and all that is important. She is looking at cases as a former prosecutor, which is her experience. But if that's your child or relative in court, do you want someone looking at it as a longtime prosecutor, or do you want someone with a wider breadth of experience?"
Petrush, who has been endorsed by Fraternal Order of Police lodges in Greensburg and the Allegheny Valley, pointed to the fact that four of 16 current county magistrates are former career prosecutors.
"Several others are former police officers," she said. "Certainly, other districts have recognized how important it is for a district judge candidate to be experienced in criminal law."
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .
