Melograne again seeks seat on bench in Washington County
Phillippe Melograne, appointed a Washington County judge for a little more than a year, is the first hopeful to formally announce his run for a seat on the Court of Common Pleas that will appear on the ballot in 2017.
Melograne, 55, of Peters Township, was appointed by then-Gov. Ed Rendell to fill a vacancy that occurred due to the death that year of Judge Mark Mascara. Melograne served as a judge on the court from November 2010 until December 2011, presiding over hundreds of cases in the family, criminal and civil divisions.
“I am running because Washington County deserves a judge with the proven experience to hit the ground running on day one,” Melograne said in a news release. “Having served as a prosecutor, as an attorney in private practice and as a judge, I have the qualifications to listen to all sides and apply the law fairly.”
A former assistant district attorney in Allegheny County, Melograne joined the Washington County Bar Association in July 2010.
Melograne said he will be filing the appropriate paperwork establishing a campaign committee with the Pennsylvania Department of State in the coming days. Judges are elected to 10-year terms, and a recent referendum raised their retirement age to 75 from a previous 70.
The first day to circulate petitions is Feb. 14, and there is a March 7 deadline to file nomination petitions in Harrisburg as a judicial candidate in the May 16 primary election.
Melograne lost a bid for a nomination in the 2011 primaries. He is now an attorney practicing in the criminal, civil, family and appellate courts.
He and his wife, Tracey, have two sons for whom he has coached baseball and soccer. He is a member of the Washington County Bar Association and the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Melograne is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and received his juris doctorate degree from Duquesne University School of Law.
The six-seat Washington County bench had a vacancy due to the retirement of President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca in January 2015. Gov. Tom Wolf appointed local attorney Damon Faldowski to fill the vacancy, and he took the oath of office in July for a term that ends at the close of 2017.
On Friday, Faldowski said he is “still considering” whether to run next year.