Robert Yeatts is sworn in as Mercer County s new District Judge. Jason Kapusta/Herald
MERCERÂ â The countyâs senior judge announced Tuesday that he will step down after his term ends next year.
Mercer County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Robert G. Yeatts said he will not seek retention re-election for a second term. Under state law, county common pleas court judges serve 10-year terms before standing for retention elections, where voters can retain or reject them.
Yeatts was elected in 2011 in a campaign where he pledged to serve only one term.
He has been the countyâs president judge since January of 2018, after the retirement of former President Judge Thomas R. Dobson. Yeatts plans to file for senior judge status when his term ends next year. Senior judges are called as needed to serve local court needs.