Berks County Bar Association members overwhelmingly support retaining two Berks County judges in the Nov. 4 General Election, according to the results of the association’s recent plebiscite.
The Hon. Patrick T. Barrett and the Hon. Eleni Dimitriou Geishauser are standing for retention for 10-year terms on the bench. The bar association sent ballots via e-mail to 498 members, and 214 ballots were returned in the plebiscite conducted Oct. 6-10.
Members were asked whether the judges should be retained or not retained. The results were:
Judge Patrick T. Barrett
- Retained: 201 votes – or 95.26% of ballots returned
- Not Retained: 10 votes – or 4.74% percent of ballots returned
- Abstained: 3 votes
Judge Eleni Dimitriou Geishauser
- Retained: 201 votes – or 94.37% of ballots returned
- Not Retained: 12 votes – or 5.63% of ballots returned
- Abstained: 1 vote
The Berks County Bar Association, as an organization, does not endorse any candidates. The results of the plebiscite reflect the views of individual members.
The Bar Association bylaws call for polling active members in a plebiscite when there is a vacancy on the bench or when judges seek retention.
Barrett and Geishauser were elected to the Bench in November 2015 and are standing for retention for the first time.
Barrett has been assigned to the criminal division during his entire 10-year tenure on the Bench. He is currently administrative head of the criminal division and is in the rotation of judges hearing murder cases. Barrett has also been assigned to the Orphans’ Court where he presides over cases involving termination of parental rights.
Geishauser was initially assigned to the criminal division and handled all Berks County DUI matters as well as DUI Treatment Court. Upon the retirement of the Hon. James Bucci, she was asked to move to the family division, and handled juvenile delinquency matters. Upon the passing of the Hon. Paul Yatron in December 2022, Geishauser was asked to return to the criminal division. In addition to the criminal docket, Geishauser is the administrative head of the Berks County Treatment Courts and presides over drug, DUI, and mental health treatment courts as well as juvenile delinquency matters.
Common Pleas judges in Berks County receive an annual salary of $229,393.
