Longtime Cambria judge Kiniry heads for retirement, will take senior status

Dec. 10—EBENSBURG, Pa. — After a career that has spanned nearly five decades, Cambria County Judge Patrick Kiniry will start what he describes as a transition into retirement.

Kiniry, 75, of Richland Township, reached mandatory retirement this year and will serve in a senior judge capacity next year.

He attended law school at Duquesne University — lured by what he saw as a wealth of careers he could obtain with a law degree — and returned home to Cambria County, where his tenure in the county courthouse began.

Kiniry first served as a public defender for two years in the early 1970s before becoming an assistant district attorney. He then became district attorney in 2006 when David Tulowitzki was elected judge. Kiniry was then sworn in as a judge in January 2010.

When the time came for Kiniry to run in 2009, he said, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but he was torn, because serving as district attorney was one of his goals and he was happy in the position.

Running for and winning one of the two open judgeships was something he doesn't regret and says he isn't ready to leave behind.

"I love this job. I thoroughly enjoy doing what I do. It fits me," he said. "I'm told that I'm regarded as a lawyer's judge, meaning that I didn't forget what it was like to sit in those details on both sides."

'An open-door policy'

Assistant District Attorney Eric Hochfeld began working alongside Kiniry as a fellow assistant district attorney 12 years ago and was then an assistant when Kiniry was district attorney.

"He had an open-door policy," Hochfeld said. "If you had any question or any concerns, he had no issues with you going in and talking to him. He would give you the time to talk about the case.

"If there's a specific case or specific issues with the case, he gives you his advice, but he would also let you make the decisions going forward. But he would certainly provide you with any input as to questions or concerns or anything that you might have in a particular criminal case that you would have been assigned to."

Hochfeld said that the open-door approach remained once Kiniry became a judge.

He appears before Kiniry for matters such as guardianships or the orphans court, and the judge treats all matters with the same due diligence and care, Hochfeld said.

"He really was a person who's willing to give you his time, and to provide you with any wisdom or any experiences that he may have that might be helpful in your particular situation," Hochfeld said.

Chief Public Defender Maribeth Schaffer noted that Kiniry has had the same approach for all attorneys.

"He's an incredible judge. He's fair. He's open-minded. He's prepared," she said. "You know, when you go in there, you're not going to be belittled and that you can make your argument and that he listens to both sides and renders a fair decision."

Schaffer described Kiniry as a "breath of fairness."

Kiniry said he has prided himself that many view him as fair throughout his career.

He recalled a 2015 death penalty case that came before him in a non-jury trial.

Kiniry noted that the case of David Johnson had an effect on him — knowing that both sides thought he was fair enough to decide such a serious matter.

Kiniry found Johnson, who had killed his girlfriend Allison Vaughn, guilty of murder in the first degree, and the commonwealth took the death penalty off of the table.

When Kiniry came onto the bench in 2010, he was given a small token by Schaffer as a reminder of his success as a prosecutor.

"When he came on the bench, I gave him a tin man, to remind him to have a heart," she said, adding that she was recently told this item remains under the glass of the bench in Courtroom Three.

Probation officer Carla Templeton said that she has been blessed and honored to work with Kiniry over the years.

She echoed the words about his fairness.

"He's definitely a fair man," she said. "He's always patient. I believe his knowledge is unparalleled."

Templeton said Kiniry is fair with defendants.

"His knowledge is amazing and you can see it in its thought process," she said, "like he thinks it out before he gives the sentences."

In the new year, Kiniry will work 10 days a month and will maintain medical malpractice cases. His other current assignments will be reassigned to the other judges until a replacement is sworn in, in 2024.

During his retirement, he plans to spend more time with his family, which includes three adult children and soon-to-be six grandchildren in Pittsburgh, where Kiniry and his wife have a second home.