Governor Tom Wolf has nominated Allegheny County's Chief Public Defender, Elliot Howsie, for an appointment to the Common Pleas Court, according to a statement from Howsie’s judicial campaign.
If the state Senate confirms the attorney, he would replace former judge Donna Jo McDaniel.
McDaniel resigned from the bench after an appeals court removed her from two sex offender cases last year. The Pennsylvania Superior Court accused her of showing bias against defendants in those cases, and against their attorneys.
Howsie had been running for judge as a Democrat, though the county Democratic committee backed another candidate. The committee's endorsement, though not binding on voters, is coveted in races that often escape voters' attention. Howsie's campaign said Friday he will withdraw from the race.
The nominee has led the Allegheny County public defender’s office since March 2012. While campaigning, he highlighted steps he took as chief to reduce the local jail population. Under his leadership, he said, the office started to represent indigent defendants at the earliest stages of the criminal justice process, helped clients end probation early, and expanded access to social services.
Indigent defense advocates, however, criticize Howsie for chronic underspending at the public defender’s office. The agency ran surpluses every year from 2013 to 2018, typically coming in 4 percent under budget.
A spokeswoman said the county does not have a timetable for finding a new chief defender, since Howsie must first be confirmed by the Senate.
State Sen. Jay Costa (D-Forest Hills) recommended that Wolf nominate Howsie for judge, according to the nominee’s campaign. In its statement, the campaign said, if confirmed, Howsie would become the county's fourth African-American judge.
