The new chief counsel for the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania has Warren ties.

Francis J. Puskas assumed the duties of chief counsel this month after 16 years as deputy chief counsel, according to a release from the JCB. He first joined the organization in 2002.

Prior to his service with the board, Puskas was an assistant district attorney in Warren County.

“Frank originally was Assistant District Attorney under District Attorney Joe Massa early in my career,” Attorney and District Judge Todd Woodin said. “He ultimately was hired by Joe Massa to be his deputy when Joe moved to Harrisburg to serve as Chief Counsel himself.”

“Frank is a competent attorney and nice guy,” Woodin said. “While he’s not from here, he started his career here and always asks about our local news when I see him in Harrisburg for yearly updates.”

He had also been a Pennsylvania deputy attorney general.

“I have dedicated many years to the board’s important mission of upholding the independence and integrity of our judiciary,” Puskas said. “I look forward to continuing that commitment and ensuring the highest public confidence in our judicial system. I am both humbled and honored by the confidence and support of the Board.”

“As Chief Counsel to the Board, Mr. Puskas will lead the independent judicial agency, which includes a talented team of attorneys, investigators, and support staff based in the Pennsylvania Judicial Center in Harrisburg,” according to the release. “As Deputy Chief Counsel, Mr. Puskas has for many years served as a judicial ethics instructor for the Pennsylvania Minor Judiciary Education Board’s continuing legal education program for magisterial district judges, Philadelphia arraignment court magistrates, and judges of the former Philadelphia Traffic Court,” according to the release. “He has also lectured on judicial ethics before Pennsylvania Bar Association and county bar association conferences.”

The JCB was “created by constitutional amendment in 1993,” according to the release. It “is an independent board within the judicial branch of the Commonwealth’s government responsible for reviewing, investigating, and, where warranted, prosecuting complaints of judicial misconduct.”

“If the board, by majority vote, decides that there is probable cause to believe that a judge engaged in misconduct, the board may file a complaint in the Court of Judicial Discipline where the board must prove the charges against the judge by clear and convincing evidence. The Court of Judicial Discipline decides if the board has sustained its burden of proof and decides the sanction to be imposed for any proven misconduct.”

“This is an important job as he serves to enforce ethical responsibilities on judges of all levels in Pennsylvania,” Woodin said. “It’s a big deal.”