Endorsed Judicial Candidates

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS

Kelly Eckel

Kelly Eckel is a commercial litigator and Hiring Partner at Duane Morris, LLP. Ms. Eckel represents clients in a variety of litigation matters, and has significant experience in handling commercial fraud, complex contracts, and business tort cases. Kelly has represented bankruptcy trustees, and has significant experience in handling adversary proceedings to avoid and recover fraudulent transfers and preference payments.


COMMONWEALTH COURT

Ellen Ceisler

After graduating from Temple University Law School in 1986, Ellen served as a Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney, where she specialized in the prosecution of crimes of domestic violence.

Todd Eagen

Todd Eagen represents unions and working men and women across Pennsylvania. He has handled cases from Erie to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre and all points in between. It is this experience that gives Todd a connection with all Pennsylvanians and is why he is running for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge.77


SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Debbie Kunselman

In November 2005, Judge Deborah Anne Kunselman became the first woman ever elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Beaver County. Judge Kunselman is a 1992 honors’ graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, and a 1989 high-honors’ graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where she was a student of the Schreyer Honors College and elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Before taking the bench, Judge Kunselman practiced for thirteen years in many areas of civil litigation, including personal injury, municipal, family and employment law. Her varied practice consisted of representing individuals, businesses and government entities. Notably, she successfully represented several teachers in an Equal Pay Act and Age Discrimination claim, recovering a substantial jury verdict on their behalf.

Maria McLaughlin

The Honorable Maria McLaughlin is a Judge in the Court of Common Pleas, First Judicial District. Judge McLaughlin presides over both family law and criminal law matters. Currently, Judge McLaughlin serves as the co-chair on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas FYI Committee and as the current vice-president of the Nicholas A. Cipriani Family Law American Inn of Court. She has on numerous occasions participated on judicial panels and has lectured for the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Delaware County Bar Association, PA Trial Lawyers Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Judge McLaughlin has appeared as a guest on local television and radio shows to discuss a variety of family law topics.


SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Geoff Moulton

Geoff Moulton was sworn in as a judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court in August 2016, after being nominated by Governor Tom Wolf and unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate. His term extends through the end of 2017.

Judge Moulton has devoted the bulk of his career to public service, developing a broad range of experience that serves him well as an appellate court judge. Following his graduation from Columbia Law School in 1984, where he was managing editor of the Columbia Law Review, he served as a law clerk on both the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. After his clerkships, he spent a total of eight years as a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia, including four years as First Assistant United States Attorney.

Carolyn Nichols

Judge Carolyn H. Nichols, elected to the Court of Common Pleas in 2011, conducts felony jury trials in criminal court, with equal justice, protecting the rights of crime victims, and the accused; she works to create opportunities for positive reentry to prevent recidivism. She attended public schools and graduated from Temple University JD, LLM, and Eastern University MBA programs.



SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Dwayne Woodruff

The Honorable Dwayne D. Woodruff is a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County – Pittsburgh, presiding primarily in the Family Court Division since 2005.

Woodruff earned a degree in Business Finance from the University of Louisville (1979) and a Juris Doctor from Duquesne University School of Law (1988), which he attended, full time at night during his professional football career with the Pittsburgh Steelers – played 12 seasons, including playing in Super Bowl XIV as a rookie in 1980, being named Steelers MVP in 1982 and serving as team captain his final three seasons.