‘Immensely rewarding and a true honor.’ Centre County’s top judge to retire after 15 years
Centre County’s top judge said Monday she plans to retire at the end of the year, the latest move in a trailblazing legal career that’s spanned more than three decades.
Centre County President Judge Pamela A. Ruest, who was the first woman to be elected judge and the first female president judge in the county’s history, is set to retire after 15 years on the bench. Her retirement would be effective Jan. 1.
“It has been immensely rewarding and a true honor to have had the opportunity to serve the people of Centre County as one of their judges,” Ruest said in a statement. “Throughout my tenure as judge and president judge I have worked diligently to uphold the laws of our Commonwealth with integrity and fairness. I deeply appreciate the trust and support the people of this county have given me.”
Ruest, 67, was elected judge in 2007. The University of Connecticut alumna was retained by voters for a second 10-year term in 2017. Her seat is expected to be filled during the 2023 municipal election; the term begins January 2024.
She plans to serve as a senior judge after retiring. The county’s three remaining judges are expected to preside over their cases, while assisting with others. A request has also been made for the appointment of additional senior judges to help manage cases.
Her husband, Jeff Jones, said he’s “always been proud to have been married to somebody who was such a trailblazer.” The pair, he said, are looking forward to traveling.
“Even when she’s not on the bench, she’s very levelheaded and fair. She really has the personality to be a judge. I’ve always admired what she’s done professionally,” Jones said. “But as I say, I see the other side of her and it’s every bit as admirable.”
Ruest’s tenure included the creation of a drug treatment court, which she oversees. A mental health court is set to be implemented in 2023. She also guided Centre County’s courts through the coronavirus pandemic.
Ruest was an attorney for 21 years before being elected judge. Her primary focus was on family law.
Her predecessor, former Centre County President Judge Thomas Kistler, said she has been “an outstanding judge” throughout her entire tenure. He described her as a “happy, engaging, outgoing” person.
“The thing that becomes very evident when you’re a trial lawyer and when you’re a trial judge is that judicial temperament is the thing that is really critical to treating everyone in your courtroom with respect,” Kistler said. “... That’s not losing your temper and not being nasty and not having a bad day ever and never getting out of bed on the wrong side of the bed. That’s what I think of when I think of Pam. She’s had very, very steady, consistent judicial temperament throughout her entire career.”
Ruest has been active in the community since moving to Centre County in the 1980s. She’s participated in the United Way, Keystone Legal Services, the Elks, the Bellefonte Art Museum, Friends of the Palmer Museum and the American Association of University Women.
She was once the board president of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Executive Director Rick Bryant described her as “a wonderful person.”
“She’s been a longtime supporter of the festival and I would say that she truly does have the best wishes of the community at heart,” Bryant said.
Centre County Judge Jonathan Grine is in line to become the next president judge. In counties with seven or fewer judges, the longest-serving is appointed to the top spot. He took office in 2012.
His father, David E. Grine, also served as Centre County’s president judge.
It’s unclear who may launch a bid for the vacant seat. McQuaide Blasko attorney Julia Cronin Rater, who has a focus on family and real estate law, said she is considering a run.
That’s to be decided over the course of the next year. But in the coming months, Centre County is preparing to say goodbye to its top judge.
Lawyer Stephanie Cooper, who has known Ruest for about 25 years, said she was “a benefit to the bar and to the court system.”
“She is fair and reasonable. Sometimes pretty strict, but there’s times that being strict or being stern is called for. She knows when that is and she doesn’t overuse it,” Cooper said. “She’s never mean to attorneys, but she does like you to be prepared. And if you’re not prepared she makes sure you know it.”