Katherine B. Emery will end her tenure as Washington Countyâs president judge, but without skipping a beat, she expects to return in January as a senior judge retaining her current caseload.
Emery, who turned 65 in late November, wrote of her intention to Gov. Tom Wolf early that month, receiving an acknowledgement from his office last week.
The novel coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in judicial emergencies and played havoc with court schedules, had no bearing on her decision, Emery said.
âI talked to all the other judges at the beginning of the year â before the pandemic â that I was planning on retiring sometime in 2020,â the judge said in a phone interview Tuesday.