Centre County’s next Common Pleas judge will be sworn in after an early appointment
Centre County’s newest Judge of the Court of Common Pleas will be sworn in later this month.
Julia Rater, who won both the Democrat and Republican primary in May, is set to be sworn in at noon Aug. 21 in Courtroom 1 of the Centre County Courthouse.
A request for an early appointment was made by the Pennsylvania Senate and Rater was appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro at the end of June, Kendra Miknis, district court administrator of Centre County, said. The court is not involved in the request or the appointment.
The race for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas was the only contested countywide race in the May primary; Gopal Balachandran and Julia Rater were the cross-filed candidates. Following a competitive — and expensive — campaign season for both candidates, Rater received the most votes on both the Democrat and Republican side.
The seat on the bench opened when former President Judge Pamela A. Ruest announced her retirement. Rater will join Centre County’s three other judges, President Judge Jonathan Grine and judges Katherine Oliver and Brian Marshall.
