A Montoursville native who only last year celebrated the victory of becoming President-Judge of the Commonwealth Court, has now stepped into the shoes of the highest judicial office in Pennsylvania.

Justice Kevin Brobson, 51, born in Montoursville, is on his third day of the job as a member of the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court.

Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt administered the oath of office to Brobson on Monday in the high court’s Harrisburg courtroom, according to the Associated Press. Leavitt mentored Brobson when the two worked in private practice, and Brobson succeeded her as president-judge of the Commonwealth Court in January of last year.

Brobson won last November’s election to the office by 9/10ths of a percent, defeating Democrat Maria McLaughlin by a margin of 25,000 votes, the Associated Press said.

“Right now, I’m focused on doing a good job for the people of Pennsylvania-for the people who did elect me, and didn’t elect me, and trying to make sure they have confidence in their judiciary,” Brobson said.

He replaced fellow Republican Thomas Saylor, who reached the mandatory judicial retirement age of 75 last year. Brobson joins one other Republican on a court with five other Democrats, according to the Associated Press.

The new justice is most looking forward to addressing administrative matters to make the system “fairer, more equitable, and give access to justice for people who do not feel like it is available to them.”

“Hopefully, I can improve the judiciary for everyone,” Brobson said. “It is the ability to mold a fairer and more accessible justice system for everybody.”

Brobson said when someone enters a statewide race, the amount of attention from the news media and general public compels one’s family into the spotlight as well.

“We had a long discussion about it over the dinner table: What it would look like, what it would be; and we all agreed to give it a shot,” Brobson said of his wife and three children. “We believe that when a door opens, you should not slam it shut. We went through it together, and now we’re here.”

Brobson said it was not his intention to jump from being President-Judge to run for Justice. On the contrary, he aspired for years to attain the crowning achievement of his career, president-judge of that court, and had done so last January with humble thanks to his colleagues on the court for their confidence.

“I had always been at the Commonwealth Court. It was a court I practiced in front of, admired and was a part of for more than a decade-the only judge I aspired to be,” Brobson said. “But things happen. After a lot of prayerful thought with my wife, we decided to get into the race with a lot of encouragement.”

Brobson said he enjoyed the opportunities that running in a statewide race brought him-namely, traveling across the state.

“If there are any silver linings in campaigning statewide, there’s the opportunity to connect with so many people,” Brobson said.

Brobson has two older siblings–a sister who lives in Loyalsock, and a brother who works in Chicago and lives there with his family.

Robert and Pat Brobson, the Justice’s parents, both still live in Montoursville. Brobson attributes part of his success to his parents.

“He’s a very very hard worker. We instilled that in all our children,” Pat Brobson said. “They were all good kids and hard workers.”

To his mother, however, Justice Brobson remains her humble, good-natured boy.

“The accomplishments this boy has done. He’s a hard worker and just something he wanted to do, so there he is! Sitting on the supreme court,” Pat Brobson said. “He’s got a great sense of humor and he’ll do very well.”

Brobson graduated in Montoursville High School’s class of 1988, and went on to attend Lycoming College, studying accounting and economics. From there, he studied law at Widener University in Chester, Pa., not telling his parents he graduated second in his class until the day of graduation.

“Not too shabby, from Montoursville High,” Brobson said.

He offered the same words of encouragement to Montoursville High School students that his parents gave him: “Everything is possible with hard work,” Brobson said. “That’s really what it comes down to. Hard work and faith.”