Hon. Thomas F. Burke, Jr. is a judge for the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Tom Ridge in 1998 and was retained to the seat in subsequent elections.
During his judicial tenure, Burke was named president judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas in 2010.
He received a B.A. in finance from Lehigh University in 1968. Burke went on to complete a J.D. at Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law in 1973.
A Vietnam veteran, he served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971. For his military service, he was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service.
Prior to his appointment, he was a partner in Burke & Burke (1973 to 1998), where he practiced alongside his brother, Joseph.
His memberships included the Luzerne County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. His other memberships included the executive committee of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association and a former director and president of the First Bank of Greater Pittston.
In addition, Burke served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce (past president), the Catholic Social Services of Wyoming Valley (chairman), the Luzerne Foundation (vice-chairman), and the United Way of Wyoming Valley. He also sat on the Board of Trustees of Marywood University and was a member of the President’s Council of King’s College.
Burke received the President’s Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association (2014) and was named Man of the Year by the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (2007).
He was born in Pittston. Burke and his wife, Margaret, have five children.