Seventeenth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Harlan R. Bockman
Retention Year: 1996
Recommendation: Retain
The Commission unanimously recommends that Judge Harlan R. Bockman BE RETAINED.
Judge Bockman is the Chief Judge of the 17th Judicial District. He was appointed to the District Court Bench in October 1976. Prior to his appointment to the judgeship, he was the Assistant District Attorney in Adams County.
Judge Bockman has heard criminal, civil, domestic and juvenile cases during his tenure. His preference is criminal or civil matters. He takes pride in his knowledge of rules of evidence and law pertaining to sentencing. He is highly respected by his fellow judges and is considered a mentor because of his disciplined study of law and the fact that he keeps current on matters relating to law.
Attorneys gave Judge Bockman ratings of 90% or better in almost all categories. A typical comment from lawyers was “Judge Bockman is the best judicial thinker on the bench in the 17th Judicial District.” Law enforcement officer’s ratings also averaged over 90%. The scores from the small sample of jurors were very positive. His ratings from his interview with the Commission were uniformly high. The Commission took special notice of Judge Bockman’s extensive community involvement.