Judge Richard A. Lewis – ‘Pillar’ of Dauphin County Criminal Justice System – to Retire at Year’s End

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Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard A. Lewis has announced his retirement after 28 years on the county bench.

Judge Lewis will step down from active service at the end of 2022, but he will continue working part-time as a Senior Judge.

Lewis, 74, was first elected to the bench in 1993, and retained for additional 10-year terms in 2003 and 2013.

A Steelton native and Bishop McDevitt graduate, Lewis served as President Judge of the county court from 2005 to 2010 and 2015 to 2020.

Serving as a trial judge for 28 years, Judge Lewis said, “has been the honor of a lifetime.”

“Judge Lewis has been a pillar of Dauphin County’s criminal justice system,” Dauphin County Commissioner Chair Mike Pries said. “We will miss seeing him every day at the courthouse.”

During his time on the bench, Judge Lewis has been a member of several statewide boards and committees, including the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence Committee, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Continuing Judicial Education Committee, and the Education Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges.

He also presided over several high-profile public corruption cases, including the “Bonusgate” and “Computergate” trials involving a number of high-ranking state officials.

“Judge Lewis approached his work with utmost integrity and the highest regard for the law,” Dauphin County Commissioner Chad Saylor said.

Prior to his judgeship, Lewis was elected to four terms as Dauphin County District Attorney, serving from 1980 to 1994. He played active roles in launching several programs that are still in operation today, including the CrimeStoppers of Dauphin County, the Dauphin County Drug Task Force, and the county’s Crisis Response Team.

He is also a past president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association.

Lewis began his legal career in 1972 as an assistant district attorney, and, later, as first assistant district attorney, under then-District Attorney LeRoy S. Zimmerman.

A graduate of Rutgers University and Dickinson School of Law, Lewis continues to teach courses at Penn State Dickinson Law School and Widener Commonwealth Law School.

“Judge Lewis was always a true professional on the bench,” Dauphin County Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III said, “but he also has a modesty and kindness that make him such a beloved figure in the community.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Brett Hambright, Press Secretary, 717-780-6311; bhambright@dauphinc.org.