Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano has announced his campaign for reelection to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The announcement took place Feb. 24 at the Northampton Memorial Community Center with more than 600 individuals in attendance.

Giordano is a former solicitor for Northampton Borough Council and serves as keynote speaker annually at the Colonel John Siegfried Elementary School D.A.R.E. graduation program, along with Northampton's holiday dinner program.

Mayor Thomas Reenock referred to Giordano as the towns's "favorite son."

Tony Iannelli, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, introduced a long list of dignitaries and others including state Sen. Mario Scavello, state Supreme Court candidate Adams County President Judge Mike George, Northampton County County Council President Peg Ferraro, County Executive John Brown, Northampton Borough Manager Gene Zarayko, Council President John Yurish, Councilman Anthony Pristash, former students and family.

Giordano said if each person gets 10 others to the polls to vote for him in November, "it would guarantee me victory.

"I like to think of myself as a common sense judge who follows the law and never legislates from the bench," Giordano added. "People who run for Superior Court should have real life experiences."

The son of Italian immigrants, Giordano said his parents worked hard, eventually learning English and opening pizza restaurants where he worked to help finance his college education. He said being behind the pizzeria counter taught him to interact with people and this later served him well as a lawyer and judge.

Giordano initially had a law office in Egypt, next to the family's pizza shop.

The Hanover Township, Northampton County, resident graduated from Moravian College and Villanova Law School. He served as adjunct faculty in the graduate degree criminal justice program at DeSales University and the Moravian College sociology department.

The former assistant district attorney and assistant public defender and his wife, Tina, have two sons.