From the
Towanda Daily Review:
"Bradford County Court Judge Maureen Beirne can preside over criminal cases that are prosecuted by her first cousin, Bradford County District Attorney Daniel Barrett, according to an opinion issued recently by the president judge of the Bradford County Court of Common Pleas.
The Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct permits a judge to preside over a case in which the judge’s cousin is acting as an attorney, Jeffrey A. Smith, president judge of the Bradford County Court of Common Pleas, wrote in his opinion, which was filed Friday in the Bradford County Prothonotary’s Office."
I don't think they're very close anyway, despite being first cousins. Actually, I'm distantly related to Judge Beirne, a fact that I'm going to remind her about every time I'm in front of her!