
Candidate for: Court of Common Pleas
Judge Howsie was appointed by the Governor to fill a vacant seat, now running to keep his seat and continue serving on both the Family and Criminal Division of the Court of Common Pleas. Judge Howsie grew up in a low income community and his father worked two full time jobs to afford Elliot attending Central Catholic High School. While he was in graduate school and law school, Judge Howsie worked in the social services field – at the Whale’d Tale (now known as Family Links) – while getting a Masters in Criminology from IUP and a Law Degree from Duquesne School of Law. Judge Howsie has more than 21 years of legal experience and has worked as a prosecutor in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, in private practice, and as a public defender. Notably, Judge Howsie was the first African American to serve as the Director of the Public Defender’s Office in Allegheny County and he completely reformed the office for the better after seven years. Judge Howsie is Highly Recommended by the Allegheny County Bar Association.