EASTON, Pa. — Northampton County prosecutor Robert Eyer announced Tuesday that he will run to become a judge in the county’s Court of Common Pleas.
Eyer, a Democrat, is currently the county’s first assistant district attorney, serving as the chief deputy to District Attorney Stephen Baratta.
The seat currently is held by Judge Anthony S. Beltrami, who is in his second 10-year term but will not seek re-election.
After graduating from Indiana University in 1989 and Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law in 1992, Eyer began his career in law by clerking for Northampton County Judge James Hogan.
Soon after, he joined an Easton law firm where he handled both civil and criminal cases, before eventually founding a private practice.
Eyer later worked as a prosecutor under former District Attorney John Morganelli, and served a stint as the county's chief public defender.
He also worked for the Northampton County Court as an administrator overseeing asbestos cases.
Eyer argues that his background filling a variety of roles in the county court qualifies him to become a judge.
“My experience will provide me with the tools to continue to serve our community as Judge,” he wrote in a statement released Tuesday.
“I have great respect for the rule of law, born out of my life’s work in these courtrooms, and I am firmly committed to our tradition of fairness and equal justice for all.”
County judges are elected to 10-year terms on the bench.
Pennsylvania’s municipal primaries are scheduled for May 20; the municipal general election follows on Nov. 4.
