Judge Mark V. Tranquilli was elected on November 5, 2013 and his term expires in 2023.
His "judicial suffix" is "011". So, if your case number were FD14-1234 011, then he would be your judge.
BASIC INFORMATION: Judge Tranquilli's chambers are at 440 Ross Street, Suite 5080, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. His chamber phone number is (412) 350-1195. However, do NOT call his chambers except to ask the secretary, tipstaff or law clerk about court procedure. His secretary, Mary Angela Og, can be reached at 412-350-1195. Do not speak to her about the merits of your case - only procedural questions. Parties are not permitted to speak to the Judge about their case outside of court.
JUDICIAL PROCEDURE: The various judge's standard operating procedures can be found at:Judge Tranquilli's standard operating procedure
Motions must be signed up more than 48 hours prior to his scheduled motions court. However, all motions must be served upon the opposing party at least 7 days prior to presentation of the motion. Consent orders are accepted at any time.
No food or drink or incivility is permitted in the courtroom. All electronic devices must be turned off prior to entering the courtroom. Children are not permitted in the courtroom, unless specifically authorized by the court. Be sure to include the judicial suffice (011) in any court pleadings for his cases.
BACKGROUND: A lifelong resident of the South Hills, Judge Tranquilli resides in Upper St. Clair with his wife and three children. He is 47 and graduated from Allegheny College in 1989 and earned his JD from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992 and later worked as an adjunct law professor at Pitt..
Judge Tranquilli worked at the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office from 1994-2013. He came to prominence when he was assigned to the newly formed Homicide Unit in 2000. His most famous case is probably that of Commonwealth v. Richard Poplawski. Mr. Poplawski killed Pittsburgh Police officers Sciullo, Mayhle and Kelly. Other notorious cases included Kenneth Hariston who raped his step-daughter and bludgeoned his wife and autistic son to death; Andre Crisswalle, who shot a young Taylor Coles, her father and a wheelchair-bound man to death at "Mr. Tommy's" restaurant and Leslie Mollett who murdered Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Pokorny in Carnegie.
Judge Tranquilli was promoted to supervisor of the Homicide Unit in 2005. He earned a reputation as a tough but fair prosecutor. He was rated "Highly Recommended" for judge by the Allegheny County Bar Association and was endorsed by the Allegheny County Democratic Party Allegheny County Labor Council and Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.
Judge Tranquilli has been sitting as a judge in the Family Division since his election in 2013. His tipstaff is Christopher Andrews and his law clerk is Krista Hartnett. His stated top priorities as judge are: (1) honesty and integrity; (2) enhancing the competence and public perception of the court; and (3) steering young people down the right path. His chambers are staffed between 9:00 am. - 4:30 pm., but staff generally takes lunch sometime between noon and 1:30 pm.
