A local attorney said on Tuesday that she plans to run for Centre County judge in the 2023 election.
Julia Rater will be seeking the open seat that will be created by Judge Pamela Ruest’s retirement at the end of this year.
Rater is a partner at McQuaide Blasko in State College and was previously a partner at Miller, Kistler, Campbell. For the past 20 years, her practice has focused on family law, which accounts for much of the caseload in county court, and she also has experience with general civil litigation, landlord-tenant issues and real estate proceedings. She has represented clients before each of Pennsylvania’s three appeals courts
“Having practiced law in Centre County for 27 years, I am able to understand both sides of a dispute and to lead my clients toward an appropriate resolution,” Rater said in a statement. “I look forward to serving our citizens by listening carefully and respectfully to their testimony and rendering unbiased decisions consistent with the law.”
Rater has served on the Board of Governors of the Centre County Bar Association for 12 years and is chair of its Bench-Bar Committee. She co-authored “Custody Law and Practice in Pennsylvania,” which was published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, for which she also writes course materials and serves as instructor.
She also serves on the boards of local nonprofit organizations Strawberry Fields and Tides.
Rater and her husband, Brian, live in Patton Township.
As is typical in judicial elections, Rater will cross-file on the Democratic and Republican ballots for the May primary election.
