COURTS
Biographies And Contact Information For Members Of The Bench
Honorable Ernest J. DiSantis, Jr.
(President Judge)
140 West 6 Street, Room 227
Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6269 phone
814/451-7421 fax
Born June 15, 1948, the son of Mary Grace Letizia DiSantis and the late Ernest J. DiSantis. Education: Gannon Univ. (B.A.), 1970; Univ. of Akron School of Law (J.D.), 1974. Experience: 1991-1994 Asst. U.S. Atty. (W.D., PA) (Chief of the Erie Division); 1980-1983 Deputy Attorney General (PA Bureau of Consumer Protection); 1983-1989 1st Asst. District Attorney (Erie County); 1995 of counsel, Elderkin Law Firm; Former Adjunct Professor of criminal law and procedure, Gannon University (1989-2001); 1970-1976 U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve; elected Judge, Court of Common Pleas, November 7, 1995, Retained, 2005.
Honorable Shad Connelly
(Administrative Judge-Trial Division)
140 West 6 Street, Room 203
Erie, Pa 165041
814/451-6315 phone
814/451-7626 fax
Born Feb. 16, 1945, in Erie, the son of Prosper F. (dec.) and Rose P. Vendetti Connelly (dec.). Graduate of Univ. of Va. (B.A.); Edinboro St. Univ. (M.A.); Duquesne Univ. (J.D.). Served in the U.S. Navy, 1965-69. Member of the Pa., Am. and Erie Co. Bar Assns. and Phi Alpha Delta, legal fraternity. Asst. Public Defender, 1975-76; Asst. District Attorney, 1976-85. Appointed to the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, Small County Advisory Committee, by the Honorable Carolyn Engel Temin, President of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, 1993-95, and Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) by Governor Mark S. Schweiker from 11/1/02 – 11/1/06. Roman Catholic; Democrat; former instructor, law, Erie Bus. Ctr. and Mercyhurst Coll.; P.I.A.A. basketball and football official; elected judge, Court of Common Pleas, Jan. 6, 1985; retained 1995; retained again 2005; married Sheila Ann Fratus; 4 children: Erin Colleen, Correy Lynne, Shad Anthony and Shane Patrick.
Honorable Stephanie Domitrovich
140 West 6 Street, Room 223Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6230 phone
814/451-7434 fax
Born in 1954, in Rochester, PA; Carlow Univ. (B.A.), 1976, summa cum laude; Duquesne Univ. School of Law (J.D.), 1979; Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy in Judicial Studies) in 2006 from the University of Nevada at Reno (U.N.R) and the Nat’l Judicial College (N.J.C); M.J.S. (Master of Judicial Studies in Trial Judge major) in 1993 from U.N.R and N.J.C ; M.J.S. with Juvenile and Family Court Judges major in 1998 from U.N.R and Nat’l Council of Juv. and Fam. Court Judges (N.C.J.F.C.J.); Am., PA. and Erie Co. Bar Assns.; National Conference of State Trial Judges, Secretary; PA Conf. of State Trial Judges, Immediate Past President; Am. Judges Assn.; Nat’l. Assoc. of Women Judges; Northwest PA. American Inn of Courts, President 1999-2001; Phi Alpha Delta Law Frat.; faculty member, N.J.C., 1993-present, and N.C.J.F.C.J.; instructor, Gannon University, pre-law and paralegals; Asst. Co. Solicitor, 1983-89; elected judge, Court of Common Pleas, Nov. 1989 and retained Nov. 1999, now serving in both Family/Orphans’ Court Div. and Trial Court Division; married; children.
Honorable William R. Cunningham
140 West 6 Street, Room 212Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6287 phone
814/451-6345 fax
Born in 1956 one of twin sons of Ronald and Marilyn Cunningham. Graduate of Allegheny College (B.A.) and University of Pittsburgh Law School (J.D.). Admitted to all PA and federal courts. Private practice, 1981 to 1987. Served as District Attorney of Erie County from 1988 - 1995; Member of the Court of Common Pleas since January 1996. Served as President Judge 2000 to 2005. Adjunct instructor, Constitutional Law, Mercyhurst College. Instructor, Pennsylvania District Attorney Association. Instructor, Pennsylvania Constable Training Commission. Past President of Northwest Pennsylvania Inn of Court.
Honorable Michael E. Dunlavey
140 West 6 Street, Room 216Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6374 phone
814/451-7478 fax
Born December 12, 1945 in Buffalo, NY. The son of John Regis and Winifred West Dunlavey, deceased. Univ. of Notre Dame, B.A. 1967. Juris Doctor State Univ. of NY at Buffalo School of Law 1974. Admitted to all Courts in the Cmwlth. of PA and State of NY including the Federal Courts for the Western Districts of NY and PA, as well as the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Court of Veterans Appeals, US Tax Court and US Court of Claims. Active duty – US Army 1967-71, 1990, 2001 – 2004 retired as a Major General in the United States Army. Partner – Orton, Nygaard, Dunlavey & Joyce 1974-88, Assistant District Attorney 1988-90. Partner – Dunlavey, Ward & Pagliari, 1992-99. Elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Erie County, November 7, 1999. Active duty September 2001 – March 2004. Associate Director Terrorism Threat Integration Center.
Honorable Elizabeth K. Kelly
140 West 6 Street, Room 215Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6363 phone
814/451-6464 fax
Born Sep. 2, 1958, in Erie, PA, daughter of Joan Kelly and the late William Kelly; graduate of Georgetown Univ. (B.A., Cum Laude), 1980 and Univ. of Akron School of Law (J.D.), 1983 - Editorial Board, Akron Law Review, Chmn. Student Honor Code, Vice President/Student Bar Association. Admitted to all Courts of the Cmwlth. of PA and State of OH, US District Courts for Western Dist. Of PA, US Dist. Court for Northern Dist. of OH, PA Bar Assn. (Family Law Comm.), Erie Co. Bar Assn. (Past Chmn Family Law Comm.), Northwestern PA American Inns of Court; Asst. City Prosecutor, Akron, OH 1983-84; Partner - Elderkin, Martin, Kelly & Messina, P.C., 1984-1999; PA State University, Instructor (Family Law), 1990-98; member of the Court of Common Pleas since January, 2000. Judicial Ethics Committee 2001-2003. Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission 2003 – Present.
Honorable John Garhart
140 West 6 Street, Room 226Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6297 phone
814/451-7480 fax
Born September 30, 1946, in Sharon, Pa; the son of Florence Garhart. Youngstown University, Youngstown, Ohio (B.A.); Rutgers School of Law (J.D.). Served in the United States Army Reserves 1969-1974. Admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in October 1974. Also admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Tax Court. Assistant District Attorney, Mercer County, Pennsylvania 1975-1976. Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania 1976-1982; Private Practice of Law 1982-2003; Assistant District Attorney, Erie County, Pennsylvania 2003-2005. Included in Best Lawyers in America 1995-2005; Elected Judge of Erie County Court of Common Pleas in November 2005.
Honorable John J. Trucilla
(Administrative Judge-Family Division)
140 West 6 Street, Room 218
Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6481 phone
814/451-7460 fax
Erie County Court of Common Pleas, 6th Judicial District; Erie County Court of Common Pleas, 6th Judicial District; Elected November 6, 2001; Seated January 2, 2002; Administrative Judge-Family Division (January 2006 to Present); Born October 3, 1960 in Erie, Pennsylvania; Educated at the University of Dayton (B.A. Political Science) 1982; University of Dayton School of Law (J.D.) 1985; Admitted to all Pennsylvania Courts and the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; judicial law clerk to the Honorable Shad Connelly, January 1986-January 1988; Assistant District Attorney, Erie County, Pennsylvania, January 1988-April 1990; United States Department of Justice, Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, April 1990-January 2001 (Chief of the Erie Division, 1994-2001); Knox, McLaughlin, Gornall & Sennett, January 2001-June 2001; Assistant District Attorney, Erie County, Pennsylvania, Juvenile Prosecutor, June 2001-December 2001; Adjunct Professor of Law, Penn State University-The Behrend College, Erie, Pennsylvania (Criminal Law & Procedure, Constitutional Law) 1989-1996; Gannon University (Criminal Law & Procedure) January 2002-January 2004; Instructor, PA State Police Academy, Northwest Training Center, 1997-2001 (Presenter of local, state and federal seminars regarding miscellaneous topics involving criminal law); Member-Citizen Oversight Committee-2006; Member-By-Laws Revision Committee of the PA Conference of State Trial Judges-2006; Member- Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Member-American Judges Association; Member-Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission; Coordinator-Committee for PA’s Roundtable for Children Initiative(2007); Member-Erie County Criminal Justice Coalition Members; Member-Erie Truancy Task Force(2007-Present); Member-Africa 6000 Advisory Board (Water project to save lives of African children)(2007-Present); Married to Suzanne M. Uht; six (6) children: John, Luke, Marielle & triplets-Grace, Anne & James.
Honorable Daniel J. Brabender, Jr.
140 West 6 Street, Room 221Erie, Pa 16501
814/451-6294 phone
814/451-7474 fax
Born August 27, 1952, in Erie, PA, the son of Daniel J. Brabender, Sr. and Jane L. Austin Brabender, both deceased; Graduate of St. George Grade School (1966), Cathedral Prep High School (1970), University of Dayton (B.A., 1974) and University of Dayton School of Law (J.D., 1978); Former partner, Carney, Good, Brabender & Walsh (1978-2009); Admitted to all courts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and State of Ohio, United States District Courts for the Western District of Pennsylvania and Northern District of Ohio, and the Third Circuit for the United States Court of Appeals; Member of the Erie County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations; Member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity and the University of Dayton School of Law Alumni Board of Trustees; Member of the Villa Maria Elementary Board of Directors; Member of the Erie Area Sports Commission; Past president of the Serra Club of Erie; Past president of the Cathedral Prep Alumni Association; Past member and chairman of the Cathedral Prep Advisory Board; Roman Catholic, St. George Parish; Elected Judge of the Erie County Court of Common Pleas (November 3, 2009); Married to the former Marci A. Corapi; Two Children: Alexis Jane Brabender (born October 19, 2000) and Rachel Mary Brabender (born March 31, 2002).