Insco

Jim Insco, an attorney for a national law firm in Pittsburgh who lives in Mars, has announced his candidacy for Butler County Common Pleas Court judge.

Insco, an attorney in the Pittsburgh office of the Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani law firm, becomes the fourth candidate to announce his intention to run for one of the two judge positions open in this year’s election.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in 2000 and his law degree from the Duke University School of Law in 2003. He started his legal career in the Pittsburgh office of K&L Gates in September 2003. In January 2018, Insco moved from K&L Gates to the Pittsburgh office of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani.

“Having grown up on a farm and practiced law for over 20 years, I will bring a decision-making process to the bench that applies a learned legal analysis with rural values,” Insco said. “My practice has focused primarily on complex civil litigation counseling corporate clients. As Butler County attracts more businesses calling Butler County home, the civil caseload is likely to grow. My experience will contribute to a deep and talented bench of judges.”

Insco and his wife, Amy, moved to the county in 2013 and their two children are students in the Mars Area School District.

He is now the fourth attorney to enter the May 20 primary for the judge positions. One position is open due to the retirement of Judge Timothy McCune at the end of the year, and the second position was created by a 2023 law aimed at reducing the caseload of judges in six counties, including Butler.

The county bench will grow from the current six judges to seven in 2026 due to the additional judge position created by Senate Bill 361, which was signed into law as Act 58 in 2023.

The other candidates are Clarion County public defender Jake Roberts; Matthew McCune, an attorney with the Conlon Tarker law firm in Butler and Timothy McCune’s son; and John Scialabba, the husband of state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-12, and a partner at Frank, Gale, Bails & Pocrass.

“I will work diligently to render correct decisions in a timely manner. I commit to studying the laws and issues before me, so that I can make those decisions in compliance with the laws and Constitutions to the best of my ability,” Insco said. “It is important to remember that the Court of Common Pleas is not a policy body. I do not believe the proper role of a trial judge is to actively advance policy agendas. Instead, the proper role is to study the law and render decisions in compliance with the law.”