Congrats to Jay Leeson

It was a pleasant surprise to learn on Friday that Bethlehem Attorney Joseph "Jay" Leeson has been nominated by President Obama to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pa. We'll be lucky to have this very able advocate.I've seen him in action, and can attest first hand that he, like his brother, is a class act.

Here's two things about Jay that you may not know.

First, he helped write Northampton County's Home Rule Charter. That's the Constitution of our County.

Second, he's part of an unusual group of lawyers who after graduating from law school, teamed up and drove to Philly daily one summer in the same shitty car to study for the bar. They scarfed hot dogs for lunch if they had money. This distinguished cadre of young men included John Morganelli (Northampton County DA), Phil Hof (tireless child advocate) and Jack Panella (Superior Court Judge) and Jay. They were all admitted to Northampton County's Bar together.

The picture included here was taken on Ash Wednesday.