Credit: Submitted
A longtime Levittown-area district judge said his widely unexpected resignation came after months of on-and-off consideration.
District Judge Robert Wagner, whose coverage area was part of Bristol Township and all of Tullytown Borough, resigned officially with the start of the new year after wrapping up a nighttime on-call shift.
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The district judge has about two years left on his term. His seat is currently being filled by Senior District Judge Leonard Brown. The seat will be on the ballot this year and the governor and senate can appoint a new judge to fill the time until the election.
Wagner, 69, told LevittownNow.com he was stepping down to retire and spend more time with his family, which includes adult children and young grandkids. He said he plans to keep his part-time construction and pool businesses.
Wagner said he’s had quite a career that started on April 1, 1974 when he attended the police academy and then joined the Bristol Township Police Department. He served in the department for 14 years and oversaw the police union before running for district judge first in 1987.
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“After a heated race, I was elected to a six-year term. The wonderful residents elected me five more times while running unopposed,” he said.
The now-retired district judge said he stepped down almost exactly 33 years after he was sworn in for the first time.
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“My main mission was just to listen to everyone,” Wagner said on his philosophy in the courtroom. “Without doing that, I couldn’t do my job.”
“When people walked out, I would hope most of them would realize my mission was to listen to what they had to say and that they had their day in court with someone listening,” he added.
Aside from presiding over preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, small claims disputes, and landlord-tenant issues, he stated he enjoyed overseeing numerous marriages and swearing in school board members, council members, and police officers.
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When asked about his sudden and unexpected departure, Wagner said it was something he thought about for a while and really focused on over the Christmas holiday.
Police officers, attorneys, journalists, and county staff were surprised and shocked when they heard the district judge was stepping down this week.
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Niels Eriksen, an attorney who has come before Wagner numerous times, said he was caught off guard when he heard the news, but he appreciated the judge’s demeanor and fairness over the years.
“The county needs more judges like him,” Eriksen said.
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Wagner, whose brother Kevin serves as one of two other district judges in Bristol Township, said he hopes people found him fair, even if things didn’t go in their favor.
“As I retire, my only hope when I meet our resident on the street is that they will say to me, thanks for being my judge, for helping me, for caring and listening to me,” he said.
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Wagner said he moved to Bristol Township with his family at the age of 2 in 1953. He graduated from Bishop Egan Catholic High School and worked as his family’s Texaco station before becoming a police officer. He coached baseball at Conwell-Egan High School, which is the former Bishop Egan, for years.
As he departs the bench, Wagner thanked his staff for their hard work and his family for their support over the years.
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