HARRISBURG (Feb. 5, 2015) � Pennsylvania Bar Association President Francis X. O�Connor today issued the following statement regarding Gov. Tom Wolf's nomination of Centre County President Judge Thomas King Kistler and Duquesne University School of Law Dean Kenneth Gormley to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania:

"The Pennsylvania Bar Association is pleased that Gov. Tom Wolf has nominated two outstanding leaders in the organized bar to serve on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Both nominees embody the integrity, experience, legal scholarship, temperament and professionalism required of a Supreme Court justice, and we urge the Senate to approve their appointments swiftly so that the court can return to its full complement.

Centre County President Judge Thomas King Kistler has a long history of service to the legal profession. He served as chair of the PBA Young Lawyers Division and chair of the PBA House of Delegates, the association�s policy-making body. He also chaired the PBA Civil Litigation Section and was a member of a variety of PBA committees. Judge Kistler is a Fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. He received a PBA Pro Bono Award for distinguished service in providing legal services for the poor.

Dean Gormley was the first lawyer from academia to be elected president of the Allegheny County Bar Association. He served twice on the association�s Board of Governors and chaired numerous ACBA committees."

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 27,000 lawyers who are members of the association.