Content with his job as a Jim Thorpe cop, Ed Lewis wasn't necessarily looking to swap the uniform for a black robe in 1986.

He had taken the course that allows one to become a district justice, but only for "educational purposes."When then District Justice Harry Heydt announced he was stepping down in the middle of his term, however, the Jim Thorpe native found himself in front of County Commissioner Tom Gerhard Sr. staring at the very real possibility of taking a seat on the bench."I knew there were other people certified," Lewis said, mentioning Lehighton Borough Manager Mort Smedley as one of them."So I asked Tom why do you want me?" Lewis said. "He'd been talking to other people who said they thought I'd be best for the position. I met Sen. Jim Rhoades, who submitted my name and I got the appointment."Almost 30 full years later, Lewis is also going out on his own terms, retiring on Feb. 3."It's been a great ride, but my wife is retired now and we have some plans to travel and enjoy our five grandchildren with a sixth on the way," Lewis said. "I'd love to fill out my term, but it feels like the right time."Early memoriesHeydt retired in 1985 and the bench was vacant for about a year before Lewis took over on July 14, 1986.In one of his first weeks on the job, Carbon County saw one of its first major roundups for people who owed money on fines and committed various other offenses."They took a van from Lehighton Ford and just started picking people up all over the county," Lewis recalled. "Joe Boyle, Times News reporter at the time, was in the back of the courtroom taking notes. That is one of my earliest memories of the job."Being appointed in the middle of a term was a blessing in disguise for Lewis.When it came to run for his first full six-year term, he had the name recognition needed to barely get him over the hump."I ran against Danny McGinley and won, and I think that a year-and-a-half really benefited me," Lewis said.Job changesThe job has changed over the years starting with its title, having gone from a magistrate to a district justice and most recently a magisterial district judge. That's not the only transition under Lewis' watch."When I first did search warrants, it was on five pieces of copy paper and now everything is computerized," he said. "There was a time before we had pagers and eventually cellphones that, if you were on call and you were going somewhere, even to a relative's house, you had to leave a number where you could be reached at all times."One of the most helpful advancements in the job, Lewis noted, was Carbon County Common Pleas Judge Roger Nanovic's approval of temporary commitments.Any suspects arrested after 10 p.m., other than for serious crimes such as murder, can be temporarily committed until the next morning when the arraignment would take place."Previously, you would have to come in during the middle of the night, do an arraignment and come back in the morning for your hearings and trials," Lewis said. "There was no security at my office in the middle of the night so you'd do the arraignment and it would just be you and the defendant's family out in the parking lot when you left."Security has improved in his and other judge's offices, but Lewis thinks more can be done."We are always working on more plans for that," he said. "There are security windows now separating our staff from the public. Officers aren't letting defendants mingle with families as much. Years ago you never thought of this stuff."Not only are caseloads increasing in Carbon County, however, so is the nature of the crimes being committed.In 1986, Lewis had the highest caseload in the county at just over 200."This year I had 555 criminal complaints alone," he said. "A lot of it is drugs and other, more serious, crimes now."Notable casesLewis presided over one of the first Sunshine Law violation cases in the county in 1989.He ruled against Gisele Mathias and George Solly, Lehighton Area School District board members accused of deliberating district business without the public being present, but the decision was overturned on appeal."Another one I'll remember is when Wilbur "Butch" Moyer and another guy were convicted of murdering a Mahoning Township woman in the '80s," Lewis said. "The ones that hit me hardest are the cases involving kids. Judge Richard Webb always told me not to take my cases home with me."In addition to Webb, Lewis thanked all the judges who came through the county during his tenure, from John P. Lavelle to Joe Matika."Judge David Addy was my go-to guy," Lewis said. "Any questions I had, I would go to him and he would tell me where to find the answers."Lewis' sister, Kathy Reihman, who manages his office, is also retiring after 32 years in the position."You're also only as good as your staff, and I'm pretty darn good," Lewis said. "Whoever takes over will find that out."