On Friday, June 20, 2008, President Judge Robert A. Freedberg was nominated to the Pennsylvania Superior Court by Governor Edward Rendell. Judge Freedberg, who has been a member of the judiciary for twenty-eight years and President Judge since 1991, was honored by the suggestion he would be capping his full-time judicial career with the State Appeal Court.

Judge Freedberg’s stewardship has permitted the Northampton County Court to remain current with it’s dockets, despite an expanding Northampton County population and what sometimes appeared as frugal judicial resources brought about by retirements, promotions and military service. His leadership, wisdom and vision for the Court of Common Pleas enabled a series of capital improvements that will serve the Court and its related agencies for many years to come. Those accomplishments included a new Juvenile Justice facility, the creation of a Criminal Administration Building, a new Domestic Relations facility and a renovated and expanded Courthouse containing seven new courtrooms with state of the art technology. Although it is difficult to reiterate all the judicial achievements during Judge Freedberg’s tenure, his confirmation before the Pennsylvania Senate on June 30, 2008 to a higher Court conveys the personal qualities and the integrity we will miss in Northampton County. Congratulations Judge Freedberg.

President Judge Freedberg graduated from Easton Area High School and from Lafayette College in 1966 with honors. He Received his Juris Doctor Degree in 1969 from Columbia University School of Law. He and his wife reside in Forks Township and have two children and two grandchildren.

He has served as President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas since 1991. He began his first ten-year term in 1980, and was elected to his second ten-year term in 1989. From 1989 to 1991, he was Administrative Judge of the Domestic Relations Section. He was retained for a third term in 1999.

From 1970 to 1980, President Judge Freedberg maintained a private law practice in Easton. In addition, he was an Assistant District Attorney in Northampton County from 1973 to 1979 and Assistant Solicitor for the City of Easton from 1976 to 1980.

He is a member of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, was elected Zone Representative to the Executive Committee 1994-96, served as Chairman of the Intermediate/Small Counties Subcommittee, and as a member of the Education Committee. He was Chairman of the President Judges Committee. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and Northampton County Bar Association.

President Judge Freedberg was nominated for the Arthur Rubloff Memorial Award for leadership and achievement by a disabled individual by United Cerebral Palsy of the Lehigh Valley. He has served as Chairman of the President’s Advisory Board of the Good Shepherd Home. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of United Cerebral Palsy of the Lehigh Valley, and the Board of Directors of Lehigh Valley Legal Services, and is past president of B’Nai Abraham Synagogue, Easton. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has appointed him a member of the Judicial Council of Pennsylvania, a committee of appellate judges, trial judges, lawyers, and citizens which advises the Supreme Court on administrative matters. He was appointed by the Supreme Court to the Intergovernmental Task Force on the District Justice System. He served on a task force to improve security in Pennsylvania’s Common Pleas and magisterial district courts. He was a member of the group which drafted “The Strategic Plan for the Pennsylvania Judiciary?2008-2013,” adopted by the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Cappy appointed Judge Freedberg to chair a committee of judges, lawyers, and court administration professionals to propose revised administrative rules on court reporting and transcripts.

Judge Freedberg received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Lafayette College in 2002. The Lehigh County Bar Association presented the 2002 Liberty Bell Award to Judge Freedberg for distinguished judicial service. In 2007, he received the first Humanitarian Award presented by the Saint Anthony’s Youth Center (Easton Area Community Center).

Other Judges of the Court