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Brobson makes case for Supreme Court to county voters

Photo provided to the Times Observer Judge Kevin Brobson, a candidate for state Supreme Court, meets with Dave Wortman and Jennifer Lauffenberger during a campaign stop Saturday morning.

“My candidacy is an opp to put somebody on the court with a different perspective.”

That’s the heart of the message that Judge Kevin Brobson brought to Warren County on Saturday as part of his campaign for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Brobson currently serves as president judge on the state’s Commonwealth Court, an intermediate appellate court that typically handles cases involving governmental agencies.

He said the message he heard on Saturday was what he’s heard all across the state.

“People want the judicial branch to not be political, (to) not wear red or blue jerseys,” he said, and “protect constitutional rights.”

Brobson was first elected to the Commonwealth Court in 2009 and elected president judge effective this January, according to a court biography.

Prior to his time on the bench, he worked in private practice.

“The fact of the matter is I’m from north central Pennsylvania,” he said of his upbringing in Lycoming County. He said his current role is “something I never would have imagined” growing up.

With 12 years on the bench, he said “my record is out there for everybody to see.”

That includes those instances where, he explained, he applied the facts to the law “fairly and impartially” and came to a conclusion that might not seem fair.

He’s learned “how impactful our decisions are to everyday Pennsylvanians, farmers, small businesses, unemployed, fire, police, teachers, parents. These are the types of cases that I have decided over 12 years.”

Brobson, a Republican, touts a new voice and perspective that he’ll bring to the state’s high court. But what exactly does that mean?

He says his perspective is unique “because none of the current Supreme Court justices have my background or experiences. All came from common pleas courts mostly in the southeast and southwest, or the Pennsylvania Superior Court.”

He specifically noted that he isn’t from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh.

The Commonwealth Court, he explained, has the role of “protecting people from government overreaching” and said he would be a justice “that cares just as much about government following the law” as citizens abiding by the law.

He said the Supreme Court already has former prosecutors and family court judges in its ranks.

“My candidacy is an opportunity to put somebody on the court with a different perspective,” he added, noting that experience will make him “relevant on day one on that court.”

He recognizes that people in this tier of the state often feel disconnected from what happens in Harrisburg.

“I can understand why you feel that way,” Brobson said. “I wasn’t born in Harrisburg. I understand what it’s like when Harrisburg feels like a world away.”

While Brobson lives in Dauphin County now, one bit of his Saturday visit will stay with him — he spoke highly of the work that White Cane Coffee is doing and said they’ll be getting orders in future.

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