Primary Election 2023: Centre County Judge

StateCollege.com editor Geoff Rushton conducted interviews hosted by C-NET with candidates for several offices on local ballots in the May 16 primary election. Today we’re featuring the interviews with candidates for Centre County Court of Common Pleas judge.

THE ELECTION

Judge Pamela Ruest’s retirement at the end of 2022 opened up a position on the bench of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas. Two candidates are vying for the job. The court consists of four judges who are elected to 10-year terms and are employees of the state, with a 2023 salary of $212,495.

THE CANDIDATES

Both candidates are cross-filed on the Democratic and Republican ballots for the primary election. One or both could advance to the November general election.

• Gopal Balachandran, of State College, was a public defender for more than 10 years in urban and rural districts in Massachusetts, New York and Maryland before becoming a professor at Penn State Law, where he leads the Criminal Appellate and Post-Conviction Services Clinic. He is also a founder of the Centre County Pardon Project and has been a member of State College Borough Council since 2022.

Balachandran has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, a master’s from the University of Chicago and a juris doctor from George Washington University.

• Julia Rater, of Patton Township, has been practicing law since 1995. She is a partner at McQuaide Blasko in State College and was previously a partner at Miller, Kistler, Campbell. For the past 20 years, her practice has focused on family law, and she also has experience with general civil litigation, landlord-tenant issues and real estate proceedings. Rater has served on the Board of Governors of the Centre County Bar Association for 12 years.

Rater has a bachelor’s degree from St. Vincent College and a juris doctorate from Penn State Dickinson Law.

THE ISSUES

Balachandran and Rater discuss their experience, why they’re running, judicial philosophy, balancing being an independent judge and an elected official, the effectiveness of specialty treatment courts, factors in determining fair bail and judicial temperament.

Watch the interviews with Balachandran and Rater below.

Gopal Balanchandran

Julia Rater

Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, May 16. The last day to register to vote before the primary is May 1 and the last day to request a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot is May 9.