Letter to the editor: Vote Smail for Superior Court judge

Coming from middle-class roots, Westmoreland County’s Judge Harry F. Smail has a deep-seated faith and sense of personal responsibility, fair-mindedness and achievement through hard work. As an attorney and as a judge, he firmly holds to his strong belief that issues must be decided purely on the basis of the law as it is written, never legislated from the bench. That is a major reason he is recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association for the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

After he was appointed by Gov. Tom Corbett as a Westmoreland County judge in 2014, he was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate. A year later he was elected to a full term. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Smail had a thriving law practice, in which he represented a multitude of clients involving family matters, estates, corporate, civil and criminal matters, as well as serving numerous nonprofit and community organizations on a pro bono basis. During that time, I came to call upon his well-reasoned advice on numerous occasions.

As a Westmoreland County judge, he has served on both Family Court and Civil Court over the past decade. During that time, he has presided over more than 1,100 cases. About 10% have been appealed, but none were overturned — a remarkable testament to his quality as a jurist.

On Nov. 7, I hope you will join me and vote for Smail for election to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Maury Fey

Murrysville