Commonwealth Court Primary 2021

Voters will fill two seats in the November 2021 Election.

Judge J. Andrew Crompton

Rating: Recommended

Before being appointed to the Commonwealth Court, the candidate served as chief of staff and counsel for Sen. Joseph Scarnati. In 2019, he was nominated and subsequently confirmed to fill a two-year vacancy on the Commonwealth Court. The candidate has significant experience in statutory construction and interpretation due to his extensive legislative background. He has been involved in many community-oriented organizations. Additionally, he has decades of experience in administration of employees and has successfully structured and administered his current chambers. The candidate’s writings are thorough and well-structured. He presented himself to the commission as intelligent, well-spoken and sincere. Based on his current judicial experience and his previous role as senior counsel, combined with his work ethic and reputation among judicial colleagues, the commission recommends the candidate to serve on the Commonwealth Court.

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Judge Lori A. Dumas

Rating: Recommended

The candidate has been a judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas since 2002 where she has presided over family, criminal and civil division cases. Prior to becoming a judge, the candidate was a general practitioner who litigated various types of cases with the majority being criminal- and family law-related matters. The candidate was a contributing author of the 2018 Pennsylvania Juvenile Delinquency Benchbook and is currently co-authoring a digital resource in partnership with the American Medical Association. The candidate has been repeatedly recognized for her excellent work and service to the community, and she has received numerous awards, recognitions and distinctions from a wide array of community, governmental and legal organizations. The candidate is well respected among her peers, being described as possessing intellectual curiosity and as being prepared for her judicial duties. Attorneys who appeared before the candidate describe her as fair with good judicial temperament. For these reasons, the commission recommends her candidacy for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.

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Amanda Green-Hawkins

Rating: Recommended

The candidate has been an attorney with the United Steelworkers since September 2002 in a variety of roles, the most recent being assistant general counsel and director of civil and human rights. In these roles, she is one of more than 2,000 union lawyers across the country who provide legal counsel and advice for a diverse set of issues, including civil liberties. The candidate has an extensive administrative law background having appeared before a variety of federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The candidate has an impressive record of service to her local community, supporting causes associated with voter rights and women’s issues. She is highly regarded by her peers, who describe her as honest, hard-working, impartial and even-tempered. While the candidate’s current position does not afford her the opportunity to author many appellate briefs, the commission found her writing samples to be clear and concise. The commission believes that the candidate will perform well as a judge on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and recommends her candidacy.

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Judge David L. Spurgeon

Rating: Highly Recommended

The candidate began his career at a law firm where his practice was primarily personal injury. In 2009, he joined the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. After eight years of prosecuting domestic violence cases, he was promoted to deputy district attorney where, in addition to his prosecutorial responsibilities, he was also responsible for supervising attorneys assigned to the domestic violence, mental health and municipal courts. While at the District Attorney’s Office, the candidate became a certified police instructor for the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Police Academies and was integral in developing the Veterans Court and Repeat Batterers accountability dockets. In 2016, he was appointed to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and was subsequently re-elected to the bench. He is assigned to the family division but also presides over certain orphans’ and civil division cases. The candidate has strong ties to his community and holds leadership roles in various nonprofit organizations, participates in a local program for teens in underserved communities, and is an adjunct professor at Duquesne University School of Law. The candidate exhibits the legal ability sufficient to have earned the respect of lawyers and members of the bench and, during his interview with the commission, he displayed confidence, integrity and excellent judicial temperament. For these reasons, the commission highly recommends his candidacy for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. 

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Judge Sierra Thomas Street

Rating: Recommended

The candidate has been a judge in the Criminal Division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas for seven years. In January 2021, she was transferred to the Civil Division. The candidate is active in her community, including holding leadership roles in a nonprofit organization dedicated to the wellness of the elderly. The candidate is dedicated to the pursuit of justice, which is evidenced by a long history of participation and recognition in various bench, bar and civic organizations. The candidate is highly regarded by members of the bar, as well as her judicial peers. She has been described by her peers as being intelligent, organized, fair, passionate and having the right temperament to serve as judge on the Commonwealth Court. It is for these reasons that the commission recommends her candidacy as a judge for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.

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Stacy Sorokes Wallace

Rating: Not Recommended

The candidate was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 2004 and served as a judicial law clerk with the Court of Common Pleas for McKean County for three years and the Superior Court of Pennsylvania for three years. Since that time, the candidate has engaged in the private practice of law and as a trust officer for a bank and trust company in northwestern Pennsylvania. In her private practice, the candidate provides legal representation across various areas of the law, including municipal law, estate planning and trust administration. The candidate has appeared before the bench in several civil trials and she currently serves as the president of the McKean County Bar Association. The candidate serves her community in a variety of volunteer roles and is held in high regard. This background notwithstanding, the commission finds the candidate lacks the depth and breadth of experience and preparation necessary to take on the commanding role of judge on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and, as a result, does not recommend her candidacy at this time.

Read the candidate’s questionnaire.