Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. on Friday announced he will run for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.
Smail, 56, of Hempfield has served as a county judge since 2014.
“My 8 1/2 years of experience in hearing a wide variety of cases is a key reason for my interest in the Commonwealth Court. I think it is essential that judges elected to this court have real experience in managing trials and writing opinions,” Smail said in a news release.
Smail initially presided over cases in the family court division and, for the past several years, has been assigned to hear civil court cases. He said his experience handling a variety of cases, including issues related to municipal ordinances, election law and Second Amendment disputes, is needed on the nine-judge appeals court.
Commonwealth court handles appeals in cases involving local and state government, as well as state regulatory issues.
Smail is a registered Republican.
Republicans have a 5-3 majority on the Commonwealth Court.
“Judges are to stick to the laws as they are on the books, not write the law. My opinions reflect a strident respect for the text of the law and our Constitution. If you want to write the law, run for the Legislature. As a judge, I always apply the law as written,” Smail said.
Bill Bretz, the chairman of the Westmoreland County Republican Committee, is serving as Smail’s campaign chairman, according to the campaign.
