'Comfortable making hard decisions': Q&A with prosecutor Jeremy Lightner in judge's race
Lightner has spent much of his career prosecuting cases that involve guns and gangs. He said he wants to use that experience "to help make this county a better place" as a judge on the Erie County Court of Common Pleas.
Lightner is running in the May 20 municipal primary against Emily Mosco Merski, a part-time assistant public defender for Erie County; and Leigh Ann Orton, the first assistant solicitor for Erie County.
Party registration: Democrat. Lightner is cross-filed as a Democrat and a Republican.
Age: 39
Residence: City of Erie
Experience: Prosecutor in the Erie County District Attorney's Office since 2014. Trial chief deputy district attorney since 2023. Started career as law clerk to Erie County Judge Shad Connelly, now retired.
Education: Bloomsburg University; law degree from University of Illinois. Admitted to Pennsylvania bar in 2012.
Personal: Married to Sarah Lipiec Lightner, an intensive care unit nurse; one child
Social media: jeremylightnerforjudge.com
Erie County Bar Association poll: No rating
Question: Why do you want to be a judge on the Erie County Court of Common Pleas?
Answer: I'm excited to use my skills to help make this county a better place. A good judge comes down to sound decision-making, and we need to elect people that are comfortable making hard decisions.
I've been making hard decisions about whom to prosecute harshly and leniently for years, and I've been getting those decisions right — the drop in gun violence in Erie coincides with my assignment to reduce gun and gang violence in 2021.
But the criminal justice system is just a small part of our legal system, and crime is a downstream result of the biggest problem plaguing our county: poverty. I'm excited to work to get decisions right for vulnerable people so that their lives can be bettered, rather than harmed, by the court system.
Describe the case that has had the most impact on you as a lawyer.
When I was a prosecutor on Veterans Court, one of the veterans struggled with addiction. He had significant issues from his service in the Iraq war, and he had fallen into addiction and crime. In Veterans Court, you have weekly meetings with the veteran to keep on top of him and ensure he's in a good place. This veteran kept relapsing, no matter how hard he tried.
The fifth time this happened, the veteran came into court crying and I ended up alone with him and one of the probation officers. He talked about his nightmares and what caused him to relapse with deep insight, and thanked us for all we had done to make his life better, because it was better than it had been before Veterans Court. It was one of the most emotional conversations of my life, and I will never forget it.
That veteran eventually lost his battle with addiction. That "case" taught me that we can never stop fighting for those in our community, and even if we don't reach our loftiest goals, putting in the time and energy to improve their lives is worth it. It also reminded me that being a lawyer isn't about rules and statutes. Those may be the tools of the trade, but we joined this profession to help make people's lives better, and fighting the noble fight is the most important thing you can do.
Describe any changes or innovations that you would like to bring to Common Pleas Court.
Watching youth gun violence in the city, I want to create programming that attacks these problems, rather than manages them.
First, I think that court programming can be more aggressive with at-risk kids at an earlier age, and can try to incorporate mentorship, consequences and development into a cohesive program before they have committed crimes of violence, rather than punishing them appropriately after.
Second, I believe that a program needs to exist for those charged with crimes. Right now, pretrial bond is the same whether an individual has a DUI, a retail theft or is charged with attempted homicide for shooting someone. That doesn't seem right, and I have noticed that other cities in our state have developed a "gun court" to make sure these cases, which involve significantly more public danger than the average case, are handled in thoughtful ways to make sure the community is safe and those charged are given the best chance to come out of the case as safer, better members of society.
Finally, I think that housing issues are a blight upon Erie, and I do think that a housing court would allow the city, landlords and tenants to fully handle issues that seem to fall to the wayside currently in the system.
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com or 814-870-1813.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County judge race: Jeremy Lightner touts work as prosecutor
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