A welcome to a seasoned jurist
Greene County welcomed a new addition to its courthouse last week when Visiting Senior Judge Hiram Carpenter of Blair County began his role as an interim jurist to help ease the county’s caseload.
Carpenter, who will spend two weeks per month in Greene County until at least the end of July, is needed following the December retirement of former President Judge William Nalitz, leaving just one judge to hear all of the court’s cases over the past four months. Until now, the county’s entire caseload has been shouldered by President Judge Farley Toothman. Carpenter saw firsthand this week what he described as a “busy” workload and acknowledged the county will benefit from having two judges working to move cases forward.
Toothman last week called Carpenter a “seasoned jurist” who will bring his knowledge and different viewpoints to our courthouse from his time hearing cases Blair County.
“There is a lot to learn from someone with his experience and congeniality,” Toothman said last week.
Carpenter spent 24 years as judge in Blair County, overseeing several high-profile cases, including a civil trial for a priest abuse-scandal against the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. The county is fortunate to have his experience.
He also has strong ties to Western Pennsylvania, growing up in Coraopolis and spending six years in U.S. Army Reserves with the 630th Transportation Company in Washington County. There, he befriended former Greene County Judge H. Terry Grimes.
The visiting senior judge is expected to work here over the next four months, depending on the results of next month’s primary election. If one of the three candidates vying for judge in the May primary wins nominations on both the Republican and Democratic ballots, that person could be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate to fill the vacancy for rest of the year.
If that does not happen, Carpenter could continue working here until the end of the year until the November election decides who will serve as Greene County’s next judge. He said several personal factors, including his family, likely would influence the length of his tenure here.
Until that time, his knowledge and experience will serve him well here, and we welcome Judge Carpenter to Greene county.