District Judge Mik Pappas says he will not seek reelection in upcoming primary
The Highland Park magisterial district judge who made waves in Allegheny County’s criminal justice system by forgoing cash bail and occasionally refusing to sign warrants submitted by local law enforcement said he will not seek reelection in the spring 2023 primary.
Pappas, 41, made the announcement Sunday afternoon on Twitter. His six-year term expires at the end of next year.
I am announcing that I won’t be on the primary election ballot in May ‘23. I STRONGLY encourage candidates who will carry the torch of progress to shoot their shot for our court. We’ve built something truly beautiful and I’m very happy to pay it forward…
— Mik Pappas (@MikPappas) November 20, 2022
“I am announcing that I won’t be on the primary election ballot in May ’23,” he wrote. “I STRONGLY encourage candidates who will carry the torch of progress to shoot their shot for our court. We’ve built something truly beautiful and I’m very happy to pay it forward.”
“I’m hoping there will be a robust field of highly qualified candidates” in the upcoming primary, Pappas said Monday.
Pappas would not say what his future plans are politically or professionally.
Several times during his term on the bench, Pappas butted heads with Allegheny County’s court administration and the district attorney’s office.
In February, a spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said the office was investigating Pappas after a warrant for a homicide suspect remained unsigned for three hours while Pappas handled other cases.
Pappas said at the time that he was not aware of the warrant’s existence, and if he had been, he would have signed it.
On Monday, the DA’s office declined to comment on that issue or Pappas’ announcement.
Pappas said that issue had no impact on his decision not to run in next year’s primary. “Never went into my consideration whatsoever,” he said.
He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court bench last year.
Pappas said that the minor judiciary is an important part of the court system where decisions have consequences.
“I’m really proud of everything we accomplished here,” he said.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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