JOSH MAINES - CANDIDATE FOR JUDGE
My Story
I was born in Clearfield County and raised in Mineral Springs. I grew up in a modest, yet loving home with my four brothers and parents. We were not wealthy, but I always felt like I had everything. My parents were very active in the church, and both were singers in musical bands. From the time I was a child, faith and music have been defining forces in my life.
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I graduated in 1996 from Clearfield High School, where I had been class president and a member of several clubs as well as the wrestling team. I went on to get a bachelors in Political Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After an internship with a prominent Clearfield County lawyer, I knew that I was going to become an attorney. From there I attended Widener School of Law for my Juris Doctorate.
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I am honored to have served Clearfield County as Assistant District Attorney for five and a half years. I successfully prosecuted matters in jury trials, as well as in state and federal appeals. During that time, I was fortunate to gain the mutual respect of law enforcement officers, which has persisted throughout my private practice.
As a private attorney, I have practiced in many areas of law, including criminal defense, protecting landowners in real estate matters, negotiating energy leases, family law, estates, estate planning and litigation in a variety of civil matters. Although I started out practicing primarily in Clearfield County, my work has expanded to include practice before the Courts of Common Pleas in 26 counties. This has provided me the opportunity to experience the varying processes and differing programs and perspectives among courts throughout the state. I am confident that this exposure to the courts will crucially assist me should I be blessed to serve as judge.​​ I have also litigated in appellate courts, including the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
​Over the course of my years in private practice, I was honored to be named “Best Criminal Attorney” by Best of Tri-County and “Best Criminal Defense Lawyer” in The Progress Readers’ Choice Awards. I am a member of the Clearfield County, Centre County, and Pennsylvania Bar Associations and have served on the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Advisory Commission. Working with a group of talented Commissioners from across the state, I assisted in reviewing policy and making recommendations to improve both the safety of law enforcement officers and the public.​
Most importantly, I am the father of five amazing kids (Dominic, Angelo, Nicolette, Santana and Sophi) and the husband of the best wife and life-partner a person could ever ask for (Nikki). These will always be the greatest honors of my life.
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I have served as Music Director and Worship Leader at Gethsemane United Methodist for the last fourteen years and have participated in many community and charity events, including overdose awareness, domestic violence awareness, and cancer benefit events.
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​My pledge to you is this: if I am entrusted with the grave responsibilities of this office, I promise to bring justice, fairness
and respect for the rule of law to every matter that comes before me. And frankly, I will bring the common sense and life experiences of a first-generation college student from a modest working-class family, who has not forgotten the struggles and blessings that have led me to where I am today.
