Gary Gambardella, Esq.
Judge Gary Gambardella has been an important part of our Bucks County community during his entire professional career.
Before his election to the District Court bench in 2011, Gary Gambardella had a long and distinguished career as a respected veteran prosecutor. In 1988, he was hired by the Bucks County District Attorney Alan Rubenstein and he quickly rose through the ranks to Chief Deputy District Attorney. From 1988 to 2010, he successfully convicted some of Bucks County’s most notorious and dangerous criminals. He is widely considered one of the most accomplished prosecutors in Bucks County history. He also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in a federal program designed to combat gun violence.
During his tenure in the Bucks County D.A.’s Office, Gary Gambardella oversaw the most successful narcotics forfeiture program in the state. He was responsible for forfeiting over $10 million-worth of ill-gotten gains from drug-dealers. In 1993, Gary Gambardella made national news when he successfully prosecuted the first narcotics forfeiture jury trial in Pennsylvania history, stripping a major drug-trafficker of his 130-acre estate and 27 thoroughbred racehorses.
Judge Gambardella joined the Bucks County District Court bench in 2011. He immediately established a reputation as being a fair, compassionate and independent judge. A strong believer in the rule of law as well as fact that judges must remain unbiased and nonpartisan, Judge Gambardella’s independence and fairness were recognized by our community when he won the Democratic and Republican primaries in both his 2017 and 2023 re-elections.
In the long history of the Bucks County Bar Association (one of our nation’s oldest legal service organizations), Judge Gambardella remains the only sitting prosecutor elected to serve as Bar Association President. He is also the only past Bar President to have served as a Bucks County District Judge.
The son of an Air Force veteran, Judge Gambardella has always been extremely appreciative of the vital role our military has in preserving our freedoms. To show his appreciation to our military, he established a highly-successful program to provide free legal services to Bucks County’s military families.
Judge Gambardella has worked closely with our community’s schools. He has been invited by our schools to be a Law Day presenter, a guest speaker for ceremonies, an officiant to swear in student council, a guest lecturer in the classroom and a chaperone for a field trip to Washington, D.C. Bucks County students have honored Judge Gambardella with beautiful student-created artwork which now adorns his courtroom. In 2017, Judge Gambardella’s own high school honored him when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Graduate.
Judge Gambardella has been a member of good standing in the Pennsylvania bar since 1987. In 2018, he was honored when former Bucks County Congressman and Judge Edward G. Biester, Jr. moved for Gary Gambardella’s admission to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Less than one percent of all attorneys in the country have been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge Gambardella has long been an integral part of our Bucks County communities. In addition to his decades of service as a prosecutor and a judge, he has coached youth baseball; he has presented to our seniors at community centers; he has officiated numerous weddings for our neighbors; and he has been honored to swear in a number of our community’s public officials, including six of Bucks County’s current Police Chiefs.
Judge Gambardella is married to his college sweetheart. They are the extremely proud parents of two grown sons. They are also animal-lovers and Judge Gambardella is often joined at the District Court by their wonderful dog Hank.