Civics for Lawyers 2026

Clyde W. Waite reached mandatory retirement age Dec. 31, 2022 and is now retired as a Senior Judge in Bucks County, PA who presided over a broad range of cases including Family Court, Criminal Court, Juvenile Court, Orphan’s Court, Civil Court involving the full range of civil disputes. He has served on the Bucks County Court since his election to the Court in 2003 as the first and still the only African American to serve on the Bucks County Court. He earned his B.A. in 1968 from Howard University in Washington, DC and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1971. Thereafter, he entered private practice with the Bucks County Legal Aid Society; thereafter in the Bucks County Public Defender’s Office then clerked for Bucks County Judge Harriet M. Mims, who was the first woman to serve on the Bucks County Court. He also clerked for Edmund V. Ludwig of the Bucks County Court. Both judges handled the full range of civil and criminal court matters. He was a partner at Sokolove, Stief, Waite, Gross, Sagoskin and Gilman. He served as Solicitor for Bristol Twp, Bucks County; Solicitor for Bucks County and Bristol Township Industrial Development Authorities. He was appointed by Governor Robert P. Casey to the State Planning Board/Futures Council to advise the Governor on policy matters. Served on the PA Supreme Court’s Judicial Ethics Committee and the Civil Rules Committee as well as the PA Superior Court’s Pro Se Committee. He has served on the Board of Dir. Bucks County Bar Assoc. He has served as president and general member on many community-based boards and committees over his fifty years of practice in Bucks County. He currently serves on the Board of the PA Supreme Court’s CLE Board.

Ana Paulina Gomez was appointed as Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority, d/b/a/ Pennie® in January of 2023. As Chief Counsel, she oversees Pennie’s legal matters and provides legal advice to Pennie’s senior staff. Prior to her appointment, she worked for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department where she represented the Department in litigation before administrative tribunals and appellate courts. She also provided the Department with legal advice regarding complex insurance issues, legislation, and regulations. Ms. Gomez is also an Adjunct Professor at Penn State Dickinson Law where she teaches Insurance Law. Prior to joining the Insurance Department, she worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Education where she litigated educator misconduct cases at the administrative and appellate level. Prior to joining the OGC, Ms. Gomez was an Assistant District Attorney at the York County District Attorney’s Office from 2012 until 2015. Prior to her work as an ADA, Ms. Gomez clerked for the Hon. Thomas Kelley in York County immediately after graduating from law school. Ms. Gomez attended the Penn State Dickinson School of Law where she interned for the Hon. Yvette Kane, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and served as a Senior Editor for the Penn State Environmental Law Review and a Miller Center for Public Interest Fellow. Ms. Gomez is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She is also a trained mediator.

Steve Santarsiero represents the 10th Senatorial District in the Pennsylvania Senate, where he is a leading advocate for the environment, economic development, education, and infrastructure investment. Steve serves as Democratic Chair of the State Government Committee and as a member of the Judiciary; Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure; Institutional Sustainability & Innovation; and Rules & Executive Nominations Committees. He also serves in Senate Democratic Leadership as Caucus Secretary.
In Harrisburg, Steve has built a reputation for pragmatic, problem-solving leadership. He led the effort to pass Kayden’s Law (Act 8 of 2024), a bipartisan measure that strengthens protections for children in contentious custody disputes. Steve believes good policy starts by listening to the community and working across the aisle to get results in a divided legislature.
Steve is also a strong supporter of economic development in Bucks County. He has championed the growth of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center in Buckingham Township and supports initiatives like PA Innovate to strengthen our region’s life sciences economy. Thrombolex, a biotechnology company started in Bucks County that received state funding with Steve’s support, has saved over 2,000 lives with their BASHIR Endovascular Catheter. He has also supported the redevelopment of the North Point Keystone Trade Center on the former U.S. Steel property in Falls Township, transforming an abandoned industrial site into a major logistics and commercial hub while addressing long-standing environmental concerns from old industrial pollution at the site.
Steve believes we do not have to choose between affordable energy, a strong economy, and protecting our natural resources in the 10th Senate District. He introduced the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS) to modernize the state’s energy portfolio standards, promote clean energy technologies, support energy jobs, and strengthen grid reliability while reducing carbon emissions.
As a former teacher, education remains a core priority. Steve is the author of legislation to create bell-to-bell cell phone-free classrooms in Pennsylvania’s K–12 schools. The bill passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and aims to help students stay focused and engaged in learning.
Steve is a strong advocate for public safety and first responders. Steve is the author of a bill to ban assault weapons, which he has introduced every year that he has been in the Senate. He also introduced Bryan’s Law to provide post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) death benefits to emergency and law enforcement personnel. The bill is named for Pennsylvania State Trooper and former Green Beret Bryan F. Gray from Lower Makefield Township, who died by suicide as a result of trauma related to his service.
Steve believes leadership means showing up both in moments of celebration and in times of crisis. He is a tireless advocate for state investments in the 10th Senate District, delivering essential grants for local infrastructure improvements, arts and cultural institutions, economic development, and our parks. Steve is proud to spotlight the outstanding work happening across the district and to ensure municipalities and community organizations have the resources they need to succeed.
Steve also works to ensure communities receive the support they need in moments of crisis. Following a jet fuel pipeline leak in the Mt. Eyre neighborhood in Upper Makefield Township in 2025, he worked with residents and the township to urge the polluter, Sunoco-Energy Transfer, to fully clean the spill and restore resident drinking wells. Through that process, Steve identified weaknesses in Pennsylvania’s law. With his friend State Representative Perry Warren, he introduced the Environmental Clean Up and Responsibility Act (ECRA). If passed, this legislation would empower the Department of Environmental Protection to begin cleanup immediately after residential spills and hold polluters financially accountable.
Before his election to the Senate, then Attorney General Josh Shapiro appointed Steve in 2017 as Pennsylvania’s first Chief Deputy Attorney General for Environmental Protection. In that role, he oversaw the prosecution of environmental crimes and led Pennsylvania’s efforts to challenge federal rollbacks of environmental protections.
From 2008 to 2016, Steve represented the Yardley-Newtown area in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he earned a reputation in Harrisburg as a reformer and leader on education, infrastructure investment, environmental protection, and gun violence prevention. Back home in Bucks County, Steve led efforts to improve the resiliency of PECO’s electric grid, and successfully advocated for the jobs of thousands of Bucks County residents who work in New Jersey when that state enacted a public-sector residency requirement.
Steve’s path to public service began locally. After helping lead a grassroots effort to stop a proposed big-box mall in Lower Makefield Township, he ran for township supervisor and was elected in 2003. As a supervisor, he worked across party lines to improve transparency, address traffic challenges, and preserve open space.
Steve considers public service a calling. After witnessing the September 11th attacks from his office in Newark, New Jersey, he decided to leave the practice of law to pursue a new career in teaching. He earned his teaching certification at night from Holy Family University and became a social studies teacher at Bensalem High School, helping students develop a strong understanding of history and civics.
Steve earned his B.A. from Tufts University, his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and his M.Ed. from Holy Family University.
Steve and his wife, Ronni, have lived in Lower Makefield for over 30 years and have three grown children: Nancy, Bill, and John.

Lawrence Tabas is the Chair of the Political Organizations and Election and Lobbying Law Practice Group and the Chair of the Health Care Law Department of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP.
Lawrence maintains an extensive practice in Election Law and related litigation (federal and state), Pennsylvania Lobbying Law. He has over 40 years of experience representing federal, state, and local candidates; candidate committees; political party committees; political action committees; governmental bodies; business entities; and non-profit entities in election law matters. His experience includes campaign finance law, ballot referendum matters, ballot access, recounts and election contests, connected organization political action committees, conduct of elections, First Amendment issues relating to political speech, and Congressional and Pennsylvania legislative redistricting. His clients have included Presidents of the United States, U.S. Senators and Members of Congress, Governors, statewide officeholders, judicial candidates, and state and local candidates and officeholders.
He has handled numerous election law matters before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Commonwealth Court, and various Courts of Common Pleas.
Lawrence served as the Chair (2011) and a member of the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board from 2005-2011, appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
For several years he served as Co-Chair of a PBI CLE course on Election and Lobbying Law, and he developed the first ever PBI CLE course for candidates for Judicial Office.
Lawrence was elected the President of the 2024 Pennsylvania Electoral College, and elected to the Pennsylvania Electoral College in 2016 and served as the Parliamentarian.
He served as a Pennsylvania At-Large Delegate to Republican National Conventions of 2008 through 2024. He served as the Co-Chair of the Delegation in 2024 and 2020, and as a Member of the Convention Rules Committee in 2008 and 2016.
He has practical experience with the elections and the voting process, having served two terms as the Chair of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, and previously served as General Counsel to the Party for 14 years.He has also been a candidate for Philadelphia city-wide office, the state legislature, and a local school board.
Lawrence served as Chair and Member of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, (2014- 2015); as Commissioner of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission of Pennsylvania (2011-2015);and Chair of the Department of State Transition Committee and a member of the Department of Human Services Transition Committee for Governor (2010-2011).
Lawrence currently serves on the federal Judicial Nominating Commission for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, appointed to that role by Senator David McCormick.

Libby A. White is in her second term as a member of the Pennsylvania CLE Board. She is a former Professor of Legal Writing at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, Visiting Professor at the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, and Professor in the LSAC Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program. In addition to Legal Analysis, Writing, and Oral Advocacy, Professor White has taught Animal Law, Contracts, Advanced Appellate Advocacy, International Entertainment Law, Professional Responsibility, and Logic for Lawyers. Prior to teaching, she was a transactional and securities lawyer for Saul Ewing LLP, a sole practitioner in business law, and performed free-lance litigation overflow for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Civil Division). Currently, Ms. White works as a consultant for law firms to (a) train associates on transactional and litigation drafting and (b) advise on, negotiate, and draft contracts for their clients. Professor White is the author of articles on theater law, oral advocacy, legal analysis and writing, and pedagogy. She has also presented numerous seminars concerning oral advocacy, practical law practice, pedagogical practices, and legal writing. She is the author of “Fundamentals of Legal Writing and Lawyering,” and “Contract Drafting.”

John F. Cordisco, founding partner of Cordisco & Saile, is recognized nationally for his expertise in personal injury law and for his tenacity as a litigator. John is a civic leader and former Pennsylvania State Representative, serving three consecutive terms from 1981 to 1986. John chaired the House Committee on Veterans Health Care and sponsored multiple successful pieces of legislation to provide assistance to veterans. He was also a member of the Judiciary and Labor Relations Committee.
He has been recognized for his accomplishments by the United Vietnam Veterans Organization, the American Legion, the VFW, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, and other organizations. He is a member of both the Pennsylvania and National Trial Lawyers Associations.
He was nominated and confirmed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to serve on the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board. There he served as Vice Chairman and Finance Chairman of the Disciplinary Board. As the Finance Chair, John was responsible for the oversight of the Board’s finance and personnel. As Vice Chair of the Board, he directed several hearings and oral arguments.
John was the founder of Have a Heart Foundation, which provided funding for the construction of two special needs parks in Bucks County. Have A Heart is also responsible for creating and managing a summer program for special needs children in Bucks County for several years. John has also partnered with Food for the Poor, a non-profit organization, aiding the poor in Central America and Haiti. For the last two decades, they have built schools, orphanages, housing, medical clinics, and water sources in that region. He has also provided funding and supplies to local non-profits, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to local hospitals and agencies during the pandemic.
Recently, John was appointed by the Bucks County Commissioners to serve on the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority. Currently, this authority is one of the largest water and sewer systems in the Commonwealth, valued at approximately 1.4 billion.
John was appointed unanimously by the Commissioners to represent Bucks County on the SEPTA Board. Upon appointment, John was immediately selected by Chairman Deon to serve on the Administration and Pension Oversight Committees.
In addition, John was appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve as a commissioner for the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. The commission is tasked with overseeing cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe that are associated with the heritage of U.S. citizens.

Amy C. Gaudion is an associate professor of law and the founder of Penn State Dickinson Law’s annual cyberspace simulation with the U.S. Army War College. Her scholarship sits at the intersection of constitutional law, national security law, and civil-military relations. Her current projects explore flaws in the structural provisions of the U.S. Constitution relating to the exercise of national security powers and propose alternatives to the conventional checking and oversight mechanisms. Another thread of her scholarship focuses on the homeland security threats posed by low civic education and civic engagement levels and considers the role to be played by law schools and legal educators in countering such threats through the development of educational partnerships and curricular innovations. Professor Gaudion is a co-author of National Security Law and the Constitution (3d ed. 2025) (Aspen Publishing), The Homeland Security Legal Architecture Before 9/11, in Foundations of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: Law and Policy (Martin J. Alperen ed., 3d ed. 2023) (Wiley) and Defending Your Country . . . and Gender – Legal Challenges and Opportunities Confronting Women in the Military, in Women, Law and Culture: Conformity, Contradiction and Conflict (Jocelynne A. Scutt ed., 2016) (Palgrave Macmillan). Her work has appeared in the Indiana Law Journal, the Virginial Journal of Law & Technology, and other scholarly journals, as well as the War Room Blog and The Daily Beast. She earned a J.D. from the Villanova University School of Law, receiving summa cum laude and Order of the Coif honors, and a B.A. from the University of Virginia, graduating with distinction.