The Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania announces that the Supreme Court recently appointed Magisterial District Judge William J. Kissner to the 12-member board.

As specified in the Constitution, he will serve as the magisterial district judge member of the Board.

His four-year term began on March 14.

The judicial conduct board, an independent body of Pennsylvania citizens, has three judges, three attorneys, and six non-lawyer electors. Half of the board members are appointed by the governor and half by the Supreme Court.

The board’s members serve four-year terms, without pay, and no more than half of its appointed members may be from the same political party.

Judge Kissner serves as a magisterial district judge for magisterial district 56-3-02 in Carbon County.

He was first elected in November 2011 and re-elected in November 2017 and November 2023.

Prior to becoming a magisterial district judge in 2011, he served as a police officer for the city of Bethlehem from 1991 until 2011.

Judge Kissner currently serves as a member of the Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania, which represents over 500 magisterial district judges and the Philadelphia Municipal Court judges across the Commonwealth. He was president of the SCJAP from 2022 - 2023.

He also serves on multiple Carbon County committees, including the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, Court Processing, Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative and Re-Entry Coalition.

He initiated the use of remote access, Advance Communication Technology, for on-call night duty in the county.

Judge Kissner earned an Associate of Arts degree in criminal justice from Lehigh Carbon Community College in 1988 and a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Kutztown University in 1990.

Judge Kissner is a member of Lehighton Lodge No. 621 F&AM of PA and holds his 32nd Degree from the Valley of Allentown A.A.S.R.M. He is a lifelong social member of the Franklin Township Fire Company and a member of the Palmerton Historical Society, Kibler School and Lehigh River Stocking Association. He is a board member for the Bo Tkach Foundation which creates awareness for mental health issues among our youth.

Judge Kissner was appointed to succeed Judge William C. Wenner on the Board.

Judge Wenner’s term expired on March 13.

Created by constitutional amendment in 1993, the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania is an independent board within the judicial branch of the Commonwealth’s government responsible for reviewing, investigating, and, where warranted, prosecuting complaints of judicial misconduct.

If the Board, by majority vote, decides that there is probable cause to believe that a judge engaged in misconduct, the board may file a complaint in the Court of Judicial Discipline where the Board must prove the charges against the judge by clear and convincing evidence.

The Court of Judicial Discipline decides if the Board has sustained its burden of proof and also decides the sanction to be imposed upon the judge for any proven misconduct.

For further information about the Judicial Conduct Board, visit www.jcbpa.org.