Westmoreland DA candidate Ziccarelli a no-show for jury duty

Nicole Ziccarelli, a candidate for Westmoreland County District Attorney, was a no-show Monday morning for jury duty at the courthouse.

Court officials confirmed Ziccarelli, a lawyer from New Kensington, was one of 160 prospective jurors summoned to appear the first day of the March criminal trial term.

Ziccarelli, a Republican, is seeking to oust six-term incumbent District Attorney John Peck, a Democrat, in the fall. Both Ziccarelli and Peck are unopposed in their party primaries in May.

Ziccarelli said her failure to appear for jury duty was nothing more than an honest mistake.

“I had it on my calendar for (Tuesday) the 16th,” Ziccarelli said, noting she immediately contacted county court officials after she was informed of missed court date. “I apologized profusely for the error and asked if I could be rescheduled for Tuesday.”

She was narrowly defeated in her bid last fall to win a seat in the state Senate. Incumbent Democrat Jim Brewster edged out Ziccarelli by 69 votes to represent the district that includes parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. The race that wasn’t decided until she conceded Jan. 12.

Her concession came after a federal judge ruled against her lawsuit seeking to invalidate thousands mail-in ballots in Allegheny County which she claimed were improperly counted. The state’s Supreme Court had previously rejected a similar lawsuit.

Ziccarelli was one of 35 summoned jurors who failed to appear at the courthouse Monday morning.

Nancy Murtland, jury board clerk, said missed jury summons and absences are commonplace and more even more so after jury trials resumed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trials were halted last April but resumed for several months in the fall before another two-month hiatus was instituted as virus case totals surged this winter.

Criminal trials restarted in February and civil court jury trials resumed earlier this month.

When summoned jurors fail to appear, court officials reach out to seek an explanation, Murtland said, adding Ziccarelli received no special treatment.

“If they forget or can’t come, we try to postpone to another date,” Murtland said, confirming that the jury summons for Ziccarelli was moved ahead to Tuesday.

Ziccarelli, a private-practice attorney who regularly appears before county judges representing clients in family court, she said was embarrassed regarding her missed court date.

“I would never not report and I was beside myself,” Ziccarelli said. “Oh my God, I’m really glad they were able to accommodate me.”