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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2003-01-01 |
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| Name | Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
March 03, 1950
(75 years)
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| Contributor | Scott³ |
| Last Modifed | Ashley
Aug 11, 2011 12:26pm |
| Tags |
Convicted - Imprisoned -
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| Info | Ciavarella was born in Wilkes-Barre on March 3, 1950, the second of the three children, and remained in the city until law school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Ciavarella attended Holy Saviour School and graduated from St. Mary’s High School, where he played basketball for O’Hara, in 1968. Four years later, Ciavarella received his bachelor’s degree in history/government and pre-law from King’s, where he was a member of the Aquinas Honor Society.
He returned to Wilkes-Barre with his law degree in 1975. He established a practice, partnered in the firm of Lowery, Ciavarella and Rogers and married Cindy Baer.
He served as Wilkes-Barre City solicitor from 1976 to 1978 and as solicitor for the city zoning hearing board from 1978 until his election as a judge. Ciavarella served as solicitor for the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center from 1977 to 1995 and, for several years, worked as the center’s assistant athletic director and girl’s swim coach. In 1988, he performed as master of ceremonies at the center’s 40th anniversary dinner.
The beginnings of Ciavarella’s political life — and the development of his political and judicial support system — resonate in the black and white photographs and written accounts of the Aug. 21, 1994, ceremony at which he announced his intention to replace Judge Gifford S. Cappellini, who was mandated by state law to retire at age 70.
Ciavarella’s judicial campaign nearly ended in the May 1995 primary.
All four candidates — Ciavarella, and attorneys Joseph Yeager, Tom Cometa and Joseph Giovannini Jr. — ran as Democrats with cross endorsements from the Republican Party. Yeager won the Republican nomination and Ciavarella edged Giovannini by 378 votes (18,759 to 18,381) for the Democratic nod. Ciavarella outspent Yeager in the general election by a margin of greater than 4-to-1 and won the general election by more than 5,600 votes.
Ciavarella was elected President judge in December 2006, succeeding Michael T. Conahan.
In January 2009, Ciavarella, 58, and former president judge Michael T. Conahan, 56, were charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania with an alleged scheme to defraud the federal government by concealing $2.6 million earned illegally through placement of juveniles in juvenile detention facilities. Ciavarella resigned his post as President Judge on January 26, 2009. On January 28, 2009, the PA Supreme Court suspended Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of all judicial duties.
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