Senior judge performs final judicial duty in Clinton County
LOCK HAVEN — Dudley N. Anderson, Senior Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County, performed his last judicial duty on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 while presiding in the Court of Common Pleas of Clinton County.
Due to reaching the mandatory retirement age, Judge Anderson’s duties were forced to come to an end at the close of the year.
Judge Anderson was born in Wilmington, Del. but traveled to Williamsport to attend Lycoming College, graduating in 1968. He then served in the United States Army for two years. While in the Army he was deployed to Vietnam, assigned to the Army Special Services and also participated in the Army Boxing program.
After receiving an honorable discharge., Judge Anderson worked as a revenue agent for the United States Department of Labor and as an unemployment compensation referee. He then attended law school earning a Juris Doctor Degree from Widener University Delaware Law School in 1975.
After graduating from law school, Judge Anderson returned to Williamsport to work in the law firm of Robert J. Wollet. In 1979 he became a partner in the law firm of Wollet and Anderson. Wollet was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County in 1982. Judge Anderson then formed a partnership with Daniel Mathers, where he was the senior partner until elected to the bench in 1997.
Judge Anderson was retained as a Common Pleas judge after his initial term of 10 years in 2007.
At the end of 2017, Judge Anderson became a senior judge and presided over legal proceedings throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in various county courts, assisting with managing the caseload or presiding over matters that had required the judges of a particular county to request the assignment of a senior judge.
Judge Anderson was known throughout the Commonwealth as an exceptional jurist. He served on the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges Ethics Committee for a number of years and was elected President of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges.
Judge Anderson will certainly enjoy his retirement but after 22 years practicing law and 27 years as judge he has left a legacy of caring, thoughtful and exemplary service to the citizens of this Commonwealth.