At the ripe age of 14, Leon A. King II knew he wanted to pursue a career in law. Now — 36 years later — King is gearing up for his third campaign for the Court of Common Pleas. And, he said, he’s hoping this time’s the charm. King, 50, will be one of the only two openly gay candidates in the local judicial race, alongside Chris Mallios, who is also running for Municipal Court. Abbe Fletman withdrew from the Common Pleas race in late March. There are six open spots on the Court of Common Pleas. King has so far been endorsed by the United Democratic Ward Leaders of Color, District Attorney Seth Williams and state Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Eighth Dist.). King said that he not only hopes to gain more endorsements than in previous campaigns, but also to garner more LGBT support. “I am more optimistic about having a united gay community behind me,” he said. “And this time, I hope to win.” King was raised in a religious family, something that inspired him to study law. “I was raised in a family where we were pretty religious and part of our life was spent reading the scripture, so I was heavily steeped in biblical legalism. My parents were big into doing the right thing and standing up for the little guy, so that’s why I chose law,” he said. King graduated with a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Massachusetts in 1988 and earned his law degree from Temple University. He went on to serve as commissioner and general counsel of the Philadelphia Prison System and deputy city solicitor for civil rights, positions that he said allowed him to work on diversity in hiring. “I did a lot of work for women while working as commissioner,” he said. “Women had a particularly hard time becoming higher-ranking officials in office, and I thought it was crucial to have them in office.” King said he oversaw the prison system changing its policy in 1997 to provide better access to HIV/AIDS medications for inmates being discharged. “We knew there were individuals in the prison who were about to be discharged and we knew they were HIV-positive and jobless,” he said. “It isn’t all about winning and losing and making money. I enjoy those type of cases that have the potential to change the world.” In addition to his private practice, King also works as an adjunct professor at Drexel University. He previously served as a board member for the William Way LGBT Community Center and currently sits on the board of The Attic Youth Center. “I felt the William Way’s board needed more people of color and, based on my criminal-justice background, I knew places like the William Way are very important. When people have things to do, have places to go to, they are less likely to commit crimes,” he said. “I joined The Attic’s board last year because I want to make sure we support our youth.” The attorney also served as coordinator and co-founder of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee from 2001-2008. King, who has been with his partner for 28 years, said it’s important for the LGBT community to have enhanced representation on the bench. “Right now, we only have two [out LGBT] people on the bench, so it is good to continue to raise the community’s profile. It is also very important for people of color to be on the bench and increase our numbers in the court.” King said he has brought together a qualified team of volunteers and started hitting the pavement and fundraising. “Gathering petition signatures was not easy; however, I found the more I do personally, the better things come out. And I have a lot of people helping me.”