Judges Running for Retention – Information and Ratings
On November 4, 2025, a general election will be held regarding the retention of two sitting Judges for an additional 10-year term each on the Court of Common Pleas of Erie County. The Judges up for retention are listed below, in alphabetic order.
In August 2025, the Erie County Bar Association (ECBA) polled its 428 Active members to get their views as to whether these judges should be retained. The results can be found under the "Ratings" link.
Judge John J. Mead
John J. Mead was elected to the Erie County Court of Common Pleas in 2015.
He was previously in private practice, including the law firms of Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue; MacDonald Illig Jones and Britton; and Scarpitti and Mead. He was an Assistant Solicitor for the City of Erie from 2006 to 2015. He also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1983 to 1989.
Mead, an Erie native, earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a bachelor's degree from Princeton University. He is a graduate of Fairview High School.
He and his wife, Blair, have two children, James and Adala.
Judge Joseph M. Walsh III
Joseph M. Walsh III was elected to the Erie County Court of Common Pleas in 2015.
He is a former partner at Shapira, Hutzelman, Berlin, Ely, Smith and Walsh. He served as a Mental Health Review Officer from 1991 to 2016, and is a former assistant city solicitor. He is a founding member of Collaborative Professionals of Northwestern Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Northwestern Pennsylvania American Inns of Court and the Erie County Bar Association.
Walsh, a Pittsburgh native, earned a Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, and a bachelor's degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He served in the United States Navy from 1976 to 1980.
Walsh is married to Nancy A. Walsh. He has a son, Shawn; a daughter, Carly; a "bonus" son, Jonathan R. Fitzmaurice; and two "bonus" daughters, Mary Grace and Allison Fitzmaurice.
