York County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh today announced the postponement of his planned retirement due to the critical shortage of judges on the York County bench.
Linebaugh more than four years ago announced his intention to retire at the end of 2015. He will instead delay his retirement until further notice.
“When I announced my intention to retire, I never imagined we could lose four judges without at least some of the vacancies being filled,” Linebaugh said. “Given the shortage of judicial resources in 2016, I cannot in good conscience leave the Bench at this time.”
The Court currently expects to operate with a net of 11 active judges until the return late next year of Judge Craig T. Trebilcock from active military service. The figure includes the addition of two new judges to be elected in November, but the offsetting loss of three judges in January.
The Court is approved for 15 full-time Common Pleas Judges.
Linebaugh decided to delay his retirement following a request from President Judge-elect Joseph C. Adams. With four vacancies on the bench, the Court would have been unable to assign a full-time, commissioned judge to hear civil cases. The Court instead would have been forced to rely on a rotation of senior judges, which would have caused potentially extensive delays for litigants in civil cases.
“I thank Judge Linebaugh for his commitment to the Courts and the fair and expedient administration of justice,” Judge Adams said. “His decision to postpone retirement will help avoid major backlogs in our civil case division.
Following a career in private practice, Linebaugh was elected to the bench in November 1997 and was retained in 2007 for a second, 10-year term. He was elected in 2010 by his fellow judges to serve President Judge, and in January will be succeeded in that role by Judge Adams.
Judge Linebaugh received his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1969 and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1972.
