Politics & Government

MontCo Lawyers Face Off in Race for Judgeships

Republicans Maureen Coggins and Sharon Giamporcaro and Democrats Gail Weilheimer and Steven Tolliver are running for two open positions on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

By Brittany Tressler

On Tuesday, four Montgomery County residents will face off for two seats on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

Sharon Giamporcaro and Maureen Coggins, both Republicans, have served in supervisory positions in the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and are running with the endorsement of District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Sheriff Eileen Whalon Behr.

Find out what's happening in Upper Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Democrats Gail Weilheimer and Steve Tolliver have more than 50 years of combined courtroom experience in both civil and criminal court, and are running with the endorsement of several area officials.

Here is a look at all four candidates:

Find out what's happening in Upper Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sharon Giamporcaro

Giamporcaro has served as an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County since 1992; she currently serves as a deputy district attorney, and oversees all prosecutions in the juvenile division of the district attorney’s office. Giamporcaro has prosecuted high-profile Montgomery County cases including homicides, rape, robbery and child sexual abuse.

Giamporcaro, who lives in Lower Merion, is a frequent lecturer for la enforcement agencies and educational professionals in the area; she is also a registered nurse.

For more on Giamporcaro, click here.

Maureen Coggins

Coggins has more than 20 years of experience in Montgomery County courtrooms, including serving as chief of the Major Crimes and the Special Prosecutions units of the Montgomery County District Attorneys.  Coggins also served as an assistant solicitor for Montgomery County, and the chief public defender in Lehigh County.

Coggins, who lives on a preserved farm in Upper Hanover Township, has also served as a volunteer with the Montgomery County Child Advocacy Program (MCAP), special prosecutor for the SPCA and assistant solicitor for the Norristown State Hospital involuntary commitment hearings.
For more on Coggins, click here.

Gail Weilheimer

Gail Weilheimer is a trial attorney with Wisler Pearlstine, LLP, who got her start as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia.  Currently, Weilheimer represents public sector entities and school districts, municipalities, and the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts.

An Abington resident, Weilheimer served as a township commissioner for four years, and served as counsel to the Shapiro/Richards Transition Team in Montgomery County.

For more on Weilheimer, click here.

Steven C. Tolliver

Tolliver has served as a judicial clerk, an assistant city solicitor for Philadelphia, and has practiced in private and corporate law settings, and has  “been involved in the litigation of criminal matters, domestic relations matters, and complex commercial matters such as class actions and antitrust matters,” according to his website.

Tolliver, of Cheltenham, founded the Cheltenham Achievers Network, which provides education enrichment for middle school children.  He is also a member of the Central Montgomery County mental Health/Mental Retardation Center, and is a member of the NAACP, and is a hearing committee member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board.

For more on Tolliver, visit his website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here