A Springhill attorney says her legal expertise and lack of local political ties will allow her to remain neutral when making decisions as a district judge.
Charity Grimm Krupa is seeking the Democratic and Republican nominations for judge in the District Court held by Randy Abraham, who is retiring. The office serves Fairchance, Masontown, Point Marion and Smithfield boroughs, and Georges, German, Nicholson and Springhill townships.
After earning her law degree in 2005 from West Virginia University, Krupa, 34, was a clerk for Fayette County Common Pleas Judge Steve Leskinen before opening her law office in Smithfield.
She represents clients in family court, criminal cases, real estate matters and wills and estates. She said she has a “passion for justice” that led her to advocate for civil rights, representing people who were falsely arrested or victims of excessive force.
Krupa also served as an assistant Fayette County public defender.
Krupa said her lack of local political ties gives her the neutrality needed to make unbiased decisions as a judge. With no “political debts” to repay, she said she can use her legal expertise to render decisions based only on the merits of the case.
“Over the last decade, my involvement in the Fayette County judicial system has opened my eyes to the reality that local politics often influence legal decisions,” Krupa said. “This reality is unacceptable. Until voters choose independent candidates who have no political debts, justice will not prevail.”
Cases in district court are important, she said, because all criminal charges are filed there first, with some completely litigated at that level.
Krupa; her husband, Brian; and their three children live in Springhill, where they raise quarter-horses and Scottish highlander cattle.
Liz Zemba is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-601-2166 or lzemba@tribweb.com.
