Senior title keeps retired judge in Coatesville

To his surprise, Coatesville's magisterial district judge, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 last month, is still on the bench.

Judge Robert L. Davis, feted last month at a farewell gathering, applied for "senior judge" status in mid-November, but did not learn until more than a month later that he had been approved.

He said he had feared he might not get the position because he did not know Chester County President Judge Paula Francisco Ott well.

Davis, whose term would have expired in 2011, said he had not been told how long he would be assigned to Coatesville. But for the moment, he is back at the old stand, overseeing a bustling court in an area that the Chester County district attorney recently labeled violence-plagued.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Davis said he believed he could continue to contribute to his struggling city. He also understands why people have been stunned to see him back on the bench.

"Frankly, I was surprised that I received it," he said of his new position.

Judges who reach retirement age must apply to the state court administrator and meet certain criteria, such as a clean disciplinary record, to become senior judges, said L. Stuart Ditzen, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

Senior judges can serve anywhere in the state, Ditzen said; the state's chief justice makes assignments at the request of county president judges. As a result, Davis was assigned to his former court, Ditzen said, adding that assignments are made month to month until a permanent replacement is appointed by the governor or elected.

Ott, Chester County's president judge, said she was not aware of any candidates for the permanent Coatesville position; however, "it is a political process, and I am not involved," she wrote in an e-mail.

Ott also said Thomas Tartaglio, Gov. Rendell's appointee to replace Magisterial District Judge John Anthony in Devon, was sworn in last week. Anthony retired in the spring and is now a senior judge, she said.

Now that he's back on the job, Davis applauded District Attorney Joseph W. Carroll's plan to curb crime in the city.

He said he had lived for 22 years around the corner from 16 N. Eighth Ave., where Carroll is rehabbing a home in a drug-infested neighborhood and inviting residents to visit him from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"I hope he will make a difference," Davis said.