EASTON, Pa. — A Monroe County prosecutor will seek a spot-on the Northampton County bench this year.
James Fuller, a resident of Allen Township, announced this week he is running to become a judge in Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. A registered Republican, he intends to file for both party primaries.
Before taking a job as an assistant district attorney in Monroe County in 2023, Fuller worked as a public defender there for about seven years.
He has overseen a total of 13 completed jury trials so far, he wrote in a statement released this week: nine as public defender and four as a prosecutor. His work included handling homicide, juvenile delinquency and dependency cases.
“I think that's all people really want when they're in court, is just for the judge to listen to them.”James Fuller
Considering his trial experience, running for judge feels like the best way to give back to Northampton County, Fuller said. That experience, he said, is why voters should elect him.
In addition to building “knowledge of the rules of evidence, my knowledge of criminal procedure and how a case works,” his work has also helped make him a good listener, said Fuller.
“I've talked to victims of crimes, I've talked to people struggling with drug and alcohol, people who have gotten caught up in the judicial system, and I just feel like I'm in a position where I can really listen to people,” Fuller said.
“I think that's all people really want when they're in court, is just for the judge to listen to them.”
Raised in the Lehigh Valley, Fuller graduated from Easton Area High School in 2002. After graduation, he earned an undergraduate degree from Penn State University and attended Cooley Law School in Michigan.
Fuller seeks to succeed Judge Anthony Beltrami, who in December did not file to run for another term.
