Apr 23, 2003 By Christine Haines 2 min read

Gov. Ed Rendell has nominated Washington attorney Mark Mascara for the vacancy created on the Washington County Court of Common Pleas by the retirement of President Judge Thomas Gladden. Mascara, who is running in the May primary for a seat on the bench, said he doesn’t know if the state Senate confirmation will come before or after the election.

“The confirmation process is a set process. They have judicial committee hearings; then it comes up for a vote before the entire Senate,” Mascara said.

Confirmation requires a two-thirds vote of the entire Senate. Regardless of the outcome of the primary, if the Senate confirms Mascara, he will serve on the bench through the end of the year.

“I’m pretty excited about it. It’s nice to have the governor of your state say ‘I think this guy is qualified,'” Mascara said.

He said he doesn’t know what assignments he will receive if he is confirmed and appointed to the judgeship.

“It’s up to the president judge to come up with the assignments. Judge (David) Gilmore is now the president judge, and I don’t know which assignments he would make,” Mascara said, adding that he would expect the assignments to be a mix of criminal and domestic cases.

Mascara, the son of former Washington County Commissioner and U.S. Rep. Frank Mascara, has been practicing law for the past 22 years.

He maintains a private practice in Washington and also serves as a law clerk for the Pennsylvania Board of Claims, a quasi-judicial board that hears contract disputes against the state.

“The claims can be very, very complicated, involving millions of dollars,” Mascara said.

He resides in Washington with his wife and three children.