Magisterial District Judge Jonathan Wilcox resigned in March, according to a filing made by the Judicial Conduct Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on June 2, 2026.
Wilcox’s resignation was effective March 25, 2026, as stated in the filing by the Board, which was seeking to withdraw two counts against him in a judicial misconduct case. He had been suspended without pay from his role as magisterial district judge for District Court 42-3-01 since November 6, 2025.
The suspension followed formal charges filed by the Judicial Conduct Board, alleging that Wilcox violated standards of conduct for magisterial district judges and the state constitution. According to the complaint, Wilcox allegedly met with a woman who had been cited by state troopers for summary harassment. He is accused of providing her with his personal cell phone number and texting her about his personal life, including his home address.
The Judicial Conduct Board stated that this conduct brought the judicial office into disrepute, violating the Disrepute Clause in the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In total, Wilcox faced 25 counts in the original complaint.
Additional charges were filed against Wilcox on February 9, 2026, alleging that he was the subject of a state criminal investigation and failed to inform the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board of this fact.
Specifically, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office was investigating Wilcox’s involvement in seeking a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order for one of his clerks. Wilcox had submitted this request on his judicial letterhead to Bradford County President Judge Maureen Beirne on August 21, 2024. The Bradford County District Attorney’s Office referred the issue to the attorney general’s office for investigation, and Wilcox was informed he was the subject of this investigation on November 20, 2025.
The complaint states that by sending this letter on judicial letterhead, Wilcox abused the prestige of his judicial office and substantially interfered with a PFA hearing. This conduct, the complaint alleges, failed to promote confidence in the judiciary and avoid impropriety or the appearance of impropriety.
Wilcox had served as the magisterial district judge for District Court 42-3-01 since 2000, and his current term was set to expire in 2029. Currently, Magisterial District Judge Allen P. Page III is presiding over the cases in that district court.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
