Governor nominates alumnus Kistler to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Thomas King Kistler, right, is a 1982 Penn State Dickinson School of Law alumnus. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf nominated Penn State Dickinson School of Law alumnus Thomas King Kistler, Class of 1982, to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Kistler, whose nomination is subject to a confirmation vote in the state Senate, will fill one of two vacancies on the court resulting from the retirement of two justices last year.

If confirmed, Kistler will serve as an interim justice until January, when elected justices will begin their new 10-year terms.

“I am pleased today to announce two extremely qualified and distinguished individuals as my nominees to serve on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the highest court in the Commonwealth,” Wolf said in a statement. “A collaborative process involving leaders from the Senate led to the selection of two nominees who I believe will execute their duties with the highest standard of ethics and judicial temperament.”

Kistler has served as president judge of Centre County, home to Penn State Law, since 2012. Prior to his election to the Court of Common Pleas in November 1997, Kistler worked in private practice for 15 years, including service on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Criminal Procedural Rules Committee and an appointment in the 1980s as an investigative panel chairperson for the Judicial Evaluation Commission.

As president judge, Kistler led a community process to create the Centre County Child Access Center, which opened in October 2008 to provide a location for the safe exchange of children in separated or divorced families where there is domestic violence.

In addition to his juris doctor degree, he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Penn State.

Last Updated July 22, 2015