Fran Chardo for Dauphin County Common Pleas Judge

          Fran Chardo has been a trial lawyer and full-time prosecutor for 31 years. For the last eight years, Fran has served as the Dauphin County District Attorney, the chief law enforcement officer in Twelfth Judicial District. He heads an office of 31 prosecutors, 14 county detectives, 8 co-responders, and 250 special county detectives. The special county detectives include the county SWAT Team, the Gang Task Force, and the Cold Case Squad. 

         District Attorney Chardo has personally tried over 140 jury trials including 24 murder cases. He is one of ten Pennsylvania attorneys who are board-certified in criminal trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Fran is a member of the William W. Lipsitt Chapter of the American Inns of Court and previously served as president of that chapter. Fran serves on the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Institute. He is the current vice president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and he will become its president in July 2025.

         Fran is an adjunct professor at Widener University School of Law.  For over twenty years, Fran has served as an Advocacy instructor at the Dickinson School of Law. He served as a faculty member at the National College of District Attorneys in Columbia, South Carolina. Fran is a longtime instructor for the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Institute which awarded him the Distinguished Faculty Award.

         By appointment of the Governor, Fran is one of ten Commissioners and the only prosecutor on the Pennsylvania Citizen Law Enforcement Advisory and Review (CLEAR) Commission. The CLEAR Commission reviews events, policies, practices, and procedures of law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction to improve policing practices by promoting transparency, fairness, and accountability. By appointment of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Fran serves on the Criminal Procedural Rules Committee. He served on the Criminal Jury Instruction Subcommittee for the Fourth Edition as liaison from the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. By the Governor’s appointment, Fran sits on the State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision. He also serves on the Parolee Homicide Review Committee which seeks to improve public safety related to parole by examining homicides committed by parolees under the supervision of the Parole Board.

          Fran sits on the Board of Trustees of the Dauphin County Library System, and he is currently the vice-president of that Board. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Bishop McDevitt High School. He previously served as the president of the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Harrisburg and as the president of the board of the American Cancer Society--Capital Area Unit. Fran lives in Lower Paxton Township with his wife, Christine, and daughters, Catie and Sophie. They are members of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Hershey. 

          The Primary Election is on May 20, 2025. The General Election is on November 4, 2025. Support Fran Chardo for Judge.  

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