Judge John M. Morganelli: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. John M. Morganelli is a judge for the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. He was elected to the bench on November 5, 2019.

Prior to his election, Morganelli served as the District Attorney for the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office, a position to which he was selected in 1992. During this time, he served as special deputy attorney general for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office (1996 to 1997).

Morganelli earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Moravian College in 1977. He then completed a J.D. at Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law in 1980.

After graduating from law school, Morganelli entered into private practice. He worked in that capacity until 1997, holding assignments as a solicitor for the Northampton County Constables Association and the Bethlehem City Council (1986 to 1991) as well as an assistant public defender for the Northampton County Public Defender’s Office (1982 to 1986) and an assistant city solicitor for the City of Bethlehem (1981 to 1982).

His memberships have included the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association (president), the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the South East Neighborhood Association, and the Bethlehem Area Jaycees. He also sat on the Governor’s Corrections, Probation & Parole Task Force and Crime Task Force as well as the Easton Area School District Task Force on School Safety, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

He is a recipient of the Larry Holmes Humanitarian Award from the Easton Area Community Center (2011), the Renald Baratta Memorial Legal Award from Roseto UNICO (2013), the Man of the Year Award from the Bethlehem UNICO (2003), and the Philadelphia Regional Anti-Fraud Award from the Social Security Administration (2003).

Morganelli was born in Fountain Hill and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He identifies as a Catholic, serving as a member of the Allentown Catholic Diocese Board of Education and Saint Anne’s Church Finance Council. He is the author of “The D-Day Bank Massacre: The True Story Behind the Martin Appel Case.”

He is registered as a Democrat.