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. He was hired in 1988 by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office 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.
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 was both the Democratic and Republican candidates for District Judge in the 2017 general election. In his 2023 re-election bid, he again received tremendous bipartisan support, garnering over over 99% of the votes cast, far outpolling the countywide candidates in the 12 municipalities which comprise his Judicial District.
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. In addition to having been invited as a special Law Day presenter by Palisades High School, PHS students 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. He also has been admitted to the bar in two other states after successfully passing their state bar examinations. 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 the Upper Bucks 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 four of the current Chiefs of Police in the Ottsville Court’s judicial district.
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.