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.
THE ELECTION
With President Judge Thomas Kistler set to retire at the end of the year after 20 years on the bench, two candidates are vying for Centre County Court of Common Pleas judge. The court consists of four judges who are elected to 10 year terms and are employees of the state.
THE CANDIDATES
Both candidates are cross-filed.
• Ronald S. McGlaughlin, of Harris Township, has been a practicing attorney for more than 30 years, and is a shareholder in the Centre County law firm of Stover McLaughlin, P.C., which has offices in State College and Bellefonte. His practice areas include business and corporate law, criminal law, family law, real estate, and wills and estates. He is a past president of the Centre County Bar Association.
McGlaughlin graduated from Susquehanna University in 1981 and earned his law degree from Ohio Northern Law School in 1984. He has lived and practiced law in the State College area since 1987.
• Brian K. Marshall, of Patton Township, has been a practicing attorney for the past 16 years, spending most of his career with the firm of Centre County firm of Miller, Kistler & Campbell, where he is a shareholder and partner. His practice areas include civil and criminal law, with his recent focus being on family law. Marshall is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, a trained mediator and current president of the Centre County Bar Association.
Marshall earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Penn State in 1996 and went on to hold a Certified Public Accountant’s license in Maryland. He received his law degree from Penn State Dickinson School of Law in 2001.
THE ISSUES
In their C-NET interviews, Marshall and McGlaughlin discuss why they’re running for judge and their qualifications; philosophies on punishment and treatment for drug-related crimes and the establishment of a county drug court; the importance of judicial temperament; making decisions in complex cases; and domestic relations and family law.
Watch the interviews with Marshall (0:00-13:31) and McGlaughlin (13:32-26:42) below.
