RIDGWAY — Bradley J. Kraus has announced that he is seeking election for the position of President Judge of the Fifty-Ninth Judicial District of Pennsylvania consisting of Elk and Cameron counties.
He is a native of St. Marys, and graduated from Elk County Christian High School in 1985. He attended St. Vincent College in Latrobe, where he earned a B.S. degree in economics and a minor in philosophy in 1989. He attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in Pittsburgh, and graduated in 1992. In November of 1992, he was admitted to the practice of law before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He has also appeared in the United States Federal District Court in Erie on several civil and criminal cases.
Upon his admission to the practice of law in Pennsylvania, Kraus was associated with the law practice of Norbert J. Powell in Johnsonburg. When Powell passed away in 1998, Kraus maintained a private civil practice in Johnsonburg while also serving as the elected district attorney of Elk County.
In 1994, Kraus was appointed as an assistant district attorney under then district attorney, the late Vernon “Buddy” Roof. In July of 1996, Kraus was appointed as Elk County District Attorney. He won election to his first four-year term in November of 1997. He successfully won re-election as district attorney in 2001, 2005 and 2009 respectively. The position of district attorney became a full-time position in 2006.
During his tenure as district attorney, he prosecuted several dozen jury trials to verdicts, including, but not limited to, cases involving homicide, arson, assault, theft and various drug cases.
Kraus believes that his 18-plus years of prosecutorial experience have instilled in him a solid understanding of criminal law, along with a “great appreciation and perception of the important role and duties of the president judge of a judicial district in a criminal case.”
Since 2014, Kraus has been affiliated with the law firm of Meyer Wagner Brown & Kraus in St. Marys where he currently is a partner. Since this law firm is engaged in the general practice of law, he has had the opportunity to once again be engaged in various aspects of civil law, including, but not limited to real estate, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, elder law, but has also received court appointments to serve as a guardian ad litem for juvenile dependents and to serve as a master in real estate actions.
Kraus has been an active member of the community. He has previously served as the president of the Johnsonburg Rotary Club, and is currently a board member of ELCAM Inc.
“In order to be an effective judge, a person must possess an even temperament, a strong knowledge and experience of the law and fairness,” read a release from the candidate. “Through his vast legal experiences, Kraus has developed these attributes and believes that he possesses the right qualities to serve as president judge for the citizens of Elk and Cameron counties.”
Kraus is married to Laurey Wolfe Kraus. They reside in St. Marys and are the parents of five children, Kevin, Luke, Mary, Gabriel and Mark Kraus.
Bradley Kraus will cross file and will seek both the Democratic and Republican nomination for president judge in the primary election to be held on May 21.
