An openly gay attorney has announced that he will run this spring for one of the 10 open judgeships on the Court of Common Pleas — and this time, he intends to be victorious.
Chris Mallios, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, ran for the bench for the first time in 2011, but came in 15th out of a pool of more than 30 candidates, just outside the needed top-10 mark.
Mallios is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and works as an attorney advisor at a Washington, D.C.-based anti-violence organization called AEquitas — something he said has kept him busy since the last election.
“I spend half my time on the road and half my time working in Philadelphia,” he said.
Mallios has traveled all over the country training law enforcement on how to handle domestic violence and rape cases. He described AEquitas as victim-centered and inclusive.
“We give victims of domestic violence and rape the same access to justice that other crime victims get,” he said.
Also in the last two years, he’s had time to strategize for his next bid for Common Pleas, utilizing the lessons he learned from his first campaign.
“I learned to start early. So much depends on the support of wards when running for judge. I learned in my last campaign that ward leaders are people who genuinely care about city government and want to get to know the candidates and that really takes time,” he said.
Mallios said he waited too long in his last campaign to make those connections but, this time, plans to get his name and message out early.
In the next few months, he said, he will reach out to stakeholders through modern means of communication as well as face-to-face interactions.
“We are going to have more concentration on social media, specifically Facebook,” he said. “I also will have small meet-and-greets and coffee get-togethers at potential voters’ houses.”
He said his decision to run for a second time stemmed from his appreciation for the human element of the law.
“Judges have a tremendous impact on the lives of people involved in cases,” he said. “I have spent my whole career in public service, and this is the highest level of public service. I would be honored to do it.”
If elected, Mallios said he would work behind the scenes to educate the court on LGBT issues.
“Decisions on people’s lives are decided in courtrooms, especially with the LGBT community. It is important that we have that representation on the bench and to be a force in the courtroom,” he said.
For more information on Mallios’ campaign, visit www.Mallios2013.com.