Hempfield lawyer announces campaign for county judge

Hempfield attorney Matt Schimizzi on Wednesday announced his candidacy for a seat on Westmoreland County’s Court of Common Pleas.

Schimizzi, 41, is making his second run for a judicial post after finishing third in both the Democratic and Republican primaries in 2019, in what was among the expensive local judicial races in recent memory.

He is seeking to fill a court vacancy caused by the 2023 retirement of Judge Rita Hathaway. It is the county’s first judicial election since the 2019 race.

Judicial races are considered nonpartisan. Candidates are permitted to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. The salary for a county judge if $227,411.

Schimizzi ran as a registered Democrat in 2019. He said he has since switched his party registration to Republican.

“I believe every person has the right to be heard and have a decision that is fair, impartial and free from any personal or political beliefs,” Schimizzi said. “As a judge, I would be committed to making decisions based solely on the law and protecting the constitutional rights of all citizens. These ideas are essential to the core fundamental principles of our nation.”

Schimizzi grew up in Unity and attended Greater Latrobe High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and a law degree from Duquesne University School of Law.

He serves as a partner in the Greensburg-based law firm founded by his father and has served on the boards of several community-based organizations such as Laurel Legal Services, the Stoneybrook Foundation, the Westmoreland County Land Bank and Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority. He is a co-founder and board secretary of Grow Westmoreland and a member of the Westmoreland Academy of Trial Lawyers.

The primary is May 20.