Hello, I'm Zeke and welcome to The Zekely Podcast. Let's talk Pennsylvania. The guest I have today is a resident of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She's a wife, mother, attorney, and currently running to be a judge of the court of common pleas Thank you so much for being here, Dawn Burke.

For years, I’ve knocked thousands of doors all over Pennsylvania and poured my heart and soul into supporting candidates and causes that make a difference—from local school board races to national elections. The personal is political, and I take every election in Pennsylvania personally.

Where the mainstream media has failed you, I will give you truth and independence. You’ll hear from Democratic leaders, candidates, and change-makers who are working to improve the health of the Commonwealth, and it won’t be boring as hell.

No matter where you are, I’ll meet you with hope and a plan to make your community better one day at a time. Welcome to the Zekely Podcast. Let’s talk Pennsylvania.

Hello Zeke and thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be here. And I just have to give a shout out if I could to Maureen Smith because when we first started this whole process pre-primary, she's like, Dawn you have to get on the Zeke show. I'm like, what the heck's the Zeke show? And then I corresponded with you. I'm like, my gosh, Maureen, guess what? I'm on the Zeke show. Yeah.

Absolutely.

And here we are on The Zekely Podcast.

This is great. Is this your first podcast? Perfect. Well, we're going to have a lot of fun, learn all about you and play some games. So you're ready?

It is, yes.

Ready?

What types of cases does a common please judge here and why are you running for this position?

So the Common Pleas Court is considered the trial court level. So you can appeal from the District Court to the Court of Common Pleas. But their original jurisdiction would be any civil matter over $12,000, any criminal matter, any family court matter, as well as orphans court, wills and estates and things like that. And the reason I'm running for judge is

Mm-hmm.

I began my career in the Philly DA's office. I was there for 11 years and I handled thousands and thousands of trials. And I knew then, someday I wanted to do this because I saw the difference a good judge can make and the awful difference a bad judge can make. And I tell people though, it's not just experience. It is what type of person is this? What is their work ethic? Because at the end of the day,

Mm-hmm.

This is truly a public service position. We're there to serve the public and do as much good as we can, not to cross the case off our docket and get out of court as quick as we can and get to the golf course, which by the way, I don't golf. I'm, yeah, right. So I'm truly there to do as much good as I can. And what is their why? And unfortunately, my brother passed away four years ago.

Me neither.

I'm sorry.

It was awful and thank you and he suffered from the disease of addiction and as a result of that disease he was brought through every single area of our courts. Protection from abuse, custody, divorce, child support.

Mm-hmm.

Civil, when he wasn't paying his bills as a result of the addiction. Criminal, and believe it or not, orphan's court with a will contest after he passed away. And after he passed, my resolve was even stronger because I knew I want to be the type of judge I wish he had encountered along the way. Which is firm, but kind and empathetic. Somebody who knows and recognizes he's a human being, no matter how low he is in his life at that

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

So that's why.

That makes

so much sense. And again, I'm sorry about the passing of your brother, but it totally makes sense that those experiences that you saw your brother have would inspire you to want to become a judge and give other people in similar circumstances the empathy that you felt he deserved.

Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

Absolutely and just to orient everyone I like to do this on the show the structure of the judiciary in pennsylvania So at the very top we have the state supreme court kind of like a pyramid below that We have the superior court next to the commonwealth court and right below that the court of common, pleas Right, and that's that's where you're trying to to be judged Well, thank you. Thank you very much for running

Correct. Yes. Correct. Yes.

Sure. Thank you for having me here.

Absolutely.

Dawn, do you have any hobbies?

I very much like to go to the gym. I do crossfit. I like spin classes. I like to get up early and start my day that way. ⁓ When I have downtime, which is not very often,

⁓

Mm-hmm

My favorite place is the beach. I love the

Okay.

of all my three kids, my youngest likes the beach as much as me. And she's actually a Wildwood Crest beach card. So I have the opportunity to go visit her in the summer. So they're my hobbies, I'd say.

Nice.

Now you said you do CrossFit. I'm curious, you're in Bucks County and also Danny Ceisler is running for Sheriff in Bucks County who also does CrossFit. Do you ever cross paths on the CrossFit Trail?

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes.

You know, no, but I've noticed him post different crossfits that he goes to, and one of these days I'm going to join him. Yes.

huh. Yes. That's

awesome. Well, I probably at some point, I'm hoping that when you become judge and he becomes sheriff, you would actually interface because the sheriff actually works with the court of common pleas to carry out whatever it is that you rule on. So that would be an in and then you can go to CrossFit afterwards.

Absolutely, yes. There you go.

Very cool.

Dawn, you have provided legal counsel to a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with mental disabilities. So what types of services did you give to help the organization?

We meet monthly and we discuss everything going on there. it actually has grown quite a bit because they started with I think one property and I want to say now they have about five properties. So I assisted them with purchasing the properties ⁓ and then redoing the properties with all the contracts as they're redoing them.

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

and also a lot of it is funded by the county. So I would have to review all the requirements of the county and make sure we were in compliance with that.

Okay. Is there a reason why you chose that particular organization? think it's great that you're providing legal services for, you know, a marginalized community, people with mental disabilities. Is there something in your past that touched you, wanted to provide services for that?

have been mental health issues in my family. There have been mental health issues professionally with somebody my husband and I were very closely associated with. And that particular person went from being number one in his law school class, just brilliant, and an excellent trial attorney.

A pretty sad state is where he is today. So

Yeah.

find anything we can do to help anybody, not just the mentally challenged or ill, anybody, anything we can do, but that is very near and dear to my heart.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

personal. That's great.

I'm very happy that you're providing those services because mental health is so undervalued in America in a lot of ways. And, you know, I have a therapist

go to, I like to talk about it on the show a lot. And so I'm really happy that you're providing an organization with legal expertise because those organizations need to thrive.

Agreed.

How does social media play into your campaign?

Well, I started with my daughter helping me with the social media ⁓ and then that wasn't quick enough so I started doing it myself and then I said, alright, this is just too much. So I have somebody helping. I am very active on Facebook, I would say, and I'm working on Instagram and that's where I am.

Hahaha

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Well, I hope your daughter gets you onto TikTok. I mean, it's my favorite platform, I have to say. It's a lot of fun. I like to compare. You know, we were all Facebook people, right? I mean, I was there in college when it was first coming up, I'll always, there'll always be a soft spot for me with Facebook. But I feel like Facebook is kind of like stock car racing, and TikTok is like Formula One. You know, it's just fast-paced, and it's great. So.

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

If you ever find yourself on TikTok, I will be sure to collaborate with

Okay.

We'll have a lot.

I will do my best to get there.

Dawn, tell me about your current job as a lawyer and how it has prepared you to be a judge.

Well, since I left the DA's office, I would say I've done pretty much everything. Civil litigation. I'm currently in house counsel for a large real estate brokerage. So I work with a lot of

different personalities, right? And a lot of trying to

see where this person's coming from, where is this person coming from, how can we resolve this? So I would say in the in-house counsel position, that's how that has prepared me. As far

the rest of it, it's litigation. So I have the criminal experience, I have the civil experience, I have the orphans court experience, I have the family court experience.

So I could basically go into any one of those courts and know what I'm doing from day

Mm-hmm. Right.

You're highly experienced and highly qualified. That's the message I'm getting.

Well, let's play a little game. And this is a game that you've probably heard before. What the Buck, all right? Cause you're in Bucks County. So I have a couple of questions to

Mm-hmm.

right.

I will, I must confess, I'm not going to know the answer like Bob Harvey knew it. I'm not going to know that.

It's okay.

I don't know.

Uncle Buck? What the, what the buck, Dawn?

Okay, I should have known that.

the fuck, I should have known that.

Young Buck.

What the buck Dawn?! All right. Here's a lot. Okay. Yeah. Well, this is the last one. Okay. So the buck stops here was famously displayed on a sign in which US president's Oval Office.

I know. All right. I'm gonna get the next one. It's gonna be buck something.

Okay.

stops here.

The buck stops here.

Clinton? I don't know. ⁓ Okay. Alright, what the Buck?

Harry Truman. There you go. What the buck Dawn?!

Well, thanks for playing what the

You were once a former Philadelphia assistant district attorney. You said that before. Did you ever have a case that made you realize becoming a judge was something you were interested in pursuing? Like, I know that you said that you had the experience with your brother. But was there another particular case that really stuck with you?

Mm-hmm.

The case that really stuck with me was a little boy was shot in the head. He was sitting in the back seat of the car and he was caught in a crossfire with two rival gangs shooting at each other. And the police had apprehended one individual immediately, which I tried to jury and convicted. The other two fled and they were gone. It was about a year. Nobody could find them.

So we worked to apprehend them. They were finally apprehended and I tried both of those to a jury. And I

an elderly juror saying to me because I just was having so many fights with the judge. And it was just, okay, I need to get this evidence in. It has to get in. I have to convict these people because this was atrocious. To have that kind of disregard for human life, to be shooting in broad daylight in the streets of North Philadelphia where a little child of five, I think he was, gets shot in the head was just awful to me.

Mm-hmm.

Right.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

me.

Yeah, that's terrible.

And the elderly juror said to me, if I'm ever in trouble, I want you on my side.

That never left me. And I just, I knew I have to keep, I have to keep fighting for people. I have to do it.

Mm-hmm.

That's a powerful story. I mean, I'm glad that you finally got justice for the family. And ⁓ clearly, the jurors saw something in you. Was that common, that jurors would say things to you during cases or afterwards?

Not like that. mean, would talk, you would have the chance. If they wanted to talk to you, they could talk to you. And it also depended on the judge. Often, like that judge would allow you to talk to the jury. Do you have any questions?

Yeah, not like that.

Mm-hmm. Okay.

Mm-hmm.

not every judge did that.

got it. Well, that's a powerful story. And again, I'm glad you're pursuing this. And clearly, there are many people who see you have a lot of promise and will do well.

Thank you.

Dawn, what does your family think of your judicial run? I mean, I know your daughter's helping you with social media, but what does everyone else think of your aspirations?

I think, I don't think, I

it's a lot, it's a lot to campaign and it's a lot and I've expressed that, like a little bit

Yeah.

not hesitant, I'm not hesitant at all,

Mm-hmm.

have a lot of responsibilities. I have work, I have my family, so I have my parents who, my dad is still working because he's raising my brother's son, so in my dad's mind he needs to provide for my brother's son, and my dad needs a lot of help because he's getting up there. So when I express how much do I put into this,

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

both financially of my own money

my energies. My daughter said to me, Mom, look at all you have done for us, right? You would do anything for us and you have. Now it's time for you to do for you. So that was very nice. Yes. Yes.

that's so nice. That's great. That's great. mean, because I'm sure

you know that you would not be able to accomplish a lot of what you want to do without that type of family support. You know, if everyone is against you, it doesn't it's not possible to do. So that's great that they're so supportive. And gosh, they're going to be so proud of you when when you're elected.

Yes, yes.

No. Yes.

Yeah,

and my husband's very supportive, which is good, because I do have my moments where I, you know, I think in the race you have good days and bad days, right? And on my bad days, I unfortunately do take it out on him, he said, Dawn, you get a pass until November 5th, you're good. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, right.

That's right. And then you all get a big sigh of relief and take a vacation.

All right, Dawn, I have to know. Do you have some robes in your virtual shopping cart already picked out for your judicial career?

Not yet.

No, no, no, no, no.

I wouldn't jinx myself that way. No, no, no, no.

now. Do

you think you'll be more of a deluxe, you know, robe wear or more of a classical robe wear? You have some visions of that, you know, the zipper or the button?

I know. I probably would buy one of each and see which one I preferred. Yes. Yep.

You know that?

Mm-hmm. And try which one. And

I also hope that maybe you'll think of some flair to wear when you dissent on some opinions. I just feel like that's something you have to have in your back pocket. I think Judge Brandon Neuman says he has certain socks that he wears sometimes.

For sure. Yes, absolutely.

so I think so. I think so. It'll come to you. I look forward to the day you have to have those types of questions in your mind.

Aren't they called happy socks? think they're called happy socks.

Well Dawn What's your favorite part of living in Bucks County?

It's beautiful here, it really

There, well, first of all, it's where we live. 95 is literally around the corner. And we did that purposefully because my husband works in center city. So it's easy on, easy off. We're close to New York city. We're close to Princeton, New Jersey, Trenton, New Jersey. So I like the proximity to of where we are. And I also love the area. We

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

lot of open space here. We have.

tons to do,

there's a lot of great stuff to do at Bucks County.

like sesame place and all these farms you can go to. And it was just a very beautiful area. ⁓ So yeah, I can imagine that your kids probably enjoyed very much growing up there as well.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes.

Some people say, Dawn, that interpreting the law shouldn't be a partisan issue. But I think history has shown us that time and time again, that political ideologies do in fact influence decisions in the judicial system. So you are being endorsed by the Democratic Party. How does being a Democrat influence your interpretations of the law?

I think, well, I don't think, I know. Once you put that robe on, politics cannot come into play. It's about applying the law to the facts before you, no matter who is in front of you, and equally across the board. So, I think with that being said,

Your politics, I think, are part of who you are. And your politics are my whole life, my experience. What kind of person am I? What is my lived experience? And

do I view this person before me who is

somebody maybe on their worst day,

most people aren't evil people. Most people are good and they do bad things for different reasons. And if I can search to find out what those reasons are and depending on the situation, possibly help that person to prevent

recidivism.

then I'm doing a beautiful thing. And I don't know if that's politics or if that's just who I am or if it's a lot of my lived experiences. Learning, I don't know it all. And I learned the hard way, I don't know it all. So your job as a judge is to listen to, listen.

Mm-hmm.

listen, right? And not know it all, not prejudge, listen, hear their story, and go from there.

that make sense?

I mean,

it

the Democratic Party knows who you are. Otherwise, it wouldn't have endorsed you. Being a Democrat, you have a certain ideologies, a certain set of morals. You talked at the very beginning. You said you watched your brother go through a terrible time. And because of that, your life experiences, you didn't turn away from that. You didn't push it away. Your empathy.

Mm-hmm.

grew larger. Your ability to see the suffering in a human being grew larger. Those are part of the democratic platform. And I completely understand that when you go into the courtroom, the political lines that we draw every day go away. But what's inside you and that morality that is the democratic platform doesn't leave you. And that's why you're being endorsed by a democratic party. And that's why I'm happy you're running, because we need

Mm-hmm.

Judge, need, right, yeah. We need those types of judges on the bench. And so to me, I completely understand why you're being endorsed by the Democratic Party and I'm grateful that you are running.

Kind, compassionate, empathetic, absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

Dawn, if you could tell people to focus on a particular case that's going on in Pennsylvania right now, what would it be? Is there something that you're following in the judicial system that you think we should be paying attention to?

Well, I think we really need to pay attention to what I read today, which is the person in the White House is trying to issue yet another executive order, and this executive order is going to ban mail-in

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

think we have to pay attention to that.

I agree. I feel like everything that he does is just a gigantic air horn of ridiculousness to distract from the dismantling of democracy, even though part of that executive order is trying to get rid of a piece of our democracy. But a big reason why I'm doing this show is because I want to focus on what we can control. And people in Bucks County who can vote for someone like you, that's a lot of control we still have.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

because the

Sure. Sure.

legal system is a type of system where nobody ever wants to be in front of a judge, right? But people in Bucks County have the opportunity to vote for someone like you, someone who's empathetic, someone who cares, someone who will listen and see them

Mm-hmm.

get you elected. And that's a vote that Donald Trump can't take away from them, right? That's power. And so, yes.

Mm-hmm.

Right, right.

Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress are gonna keep doing what they're doing, but we have to focus on what we can control and people in Bucks County, you can elect Dawn Burke to the Court of Common Pleas on November 4th and that's a lot of power. so that's what I'm trying,

And our judges hear election law cases. I

was appointed by the Pennsylvania Dems to handle the Bob Casey provisional ballot issue where I argued everybody's vote should count. And that case does go to the Court of Common Pleas. It eventually goes to the Commonwealth Court, but it will start in the early stages in the Court of Common Pleas.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm hmm. Right. Right. Yeah. And so you could

play a role in protecting voting rights in Pennsylvania during the midterm elections and then the big elections. know, I mean, like every election is the most important election. I say it over and over again. But the fact that you could be there playing a role in protecting the democracy in Pennsylvania and around the country, people in Bucks County have a chance to elect someone like you to do that. So.

Absolutely, yes.

Correct.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I really want to try and keep people focused and I'm glad that ⁓ they will have the chance to elect you.

there were cases here i was a solicitor for the bucks county democratic committee for five years and there were a lot of cases where

several school board races where the Moms for Liberty were going out pretending to be endorsed by the Democratic Party. It was awful. So I would run into court, file for an injunction, an emergency petition, and fortunately the judge agreed with me on each occasion and I was able to stop it. But just doing that, right? And you have to get to the court in time and the court has to hear you on time in order to be able to stop that behavior so that it doesn't impact the

Ugh.

Yeah. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Mm hmm. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Right.

because otherwise the voters are deceived, right? And they're voting for the wrong person, not knowing.

Yeah. Right. Yeah. Right.

Right. I hate I hate moms for liberty. They are a thorn in my side. And yeah, we have to keep fighting the good fight. And again, on the same ballot we are going to be on in November 4th, they're going to be school board members. And and I know Bucks County has been the the center of many controversies for moms for liberty. And so people have to pay attention and elect good people to their school boards as well.

Yes, yes.

All right, Dawn, your time has arrived and I know you know this game because you watch the show or listen, we're going to play Am I Lying? Okay, because as a judge, you're going to be a human lie detector. And so, so far, no judicial candidates have gotten every question right. So you could be the first one on The Zekely Podcast. Okay.

Okay.

Yes, yes. Okay.

I gotta watch

because I heard Brandon Neuman Judge Brandon Neuman said that your eyes shift so I'm gonna really watch.

Yep. Yeah, well, you'll have to shift. Should I say that with my eyes closed? All right. I have,

let's see, five of them. OK, so best of five. Let's hope you get five out of five. True or false? I once went deep sea diving and touched a whale.

Okay.

That is false. I have never gone deep sea diving and I have never touched a whale, although I would like to someday. I would like to. It's okay. You can still get the next four right and be tied with Brandon. True or false? I have never gotten poison ivy.

false? That is true. I have never gotten poison ivy. I know it's crazy because my mom growing up, she always got it really badly, but I've never gotten it. And I was out in the fields a lot in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, weed whacking, never got poison ivy. Never got it. We must be immune to it. Well, speaking of immune, true or false, I have a rare condition where my eyes don't get irritated when I cut onions.

Awesome.

Never got it. I never got it either. Me neither. We must be immune.

Hmm? Hmm?

⁓ come on!

That is false. cry like a baby. I

cry like a baby. I cry like a baby when I cut onions. ⁓ my gosh. My kids laugh at me. When I was in undergrad getting my chemistry degree, you know how we all had those big plastic ⁓ goggles that we wore when we were using the Bunsen burners? Sometimes I dig that out of the basement and I put those on when cutting onions because it's just, it's that bad. Yeah.

I don't see your eyes moving when you're...

goggles. Mm-hmm. ⁓

It's that bad, huh?

this is fun. I'm having a good time. I just want you to know, All right, next one. True or false I love spicy foods and collect hot sauces.

true. ⁓ come on!

That is false.

I do not love spicy foods. I'm a spicy food baby. I think the spiciest I get is sriracha and that is, you know, that spicy, not super spicy. So, okay. Here's the last one Dawn I believe in you. I believe in you. All right. If I had to choose between having a pet snake or spider, I'd choose a snake.

Not super spicy.

Okay.

true.

That is true. You got it. You must have heard the episode where I had the Python, right? OK, yeah, spiders have too many legs. It's just too many legs. I don't like it.

No, but I would choose a snake over a spider. Agreed. Agreed.

Dawn, in an unprecedented fashion, Trump and Republican politicians in Congress are threatening to impeach judges they don't like.

Do you feel like your role as a judge is even more important in the face of these attacks on the judiciary?

Absolutely, because arguably the judiciary is the only branch of government that is remaining independent from the executive branch. So the judiciary really is the last line of defense, and absolutely, yes.

Mm-hmm. Right.

Right. Yeah.

I mean, you are literally going to be the backstop to our rights. So yeah, it's incredible. And I'm glad that you will stay focused on the task at hand. I think the previous judicial candidates I've had on the podcast have said, we're going to rule without fear or favor. We have a job to do. We're going to do it. And we cannot be influenced by outside forces.

Mm-hmm.

100%.

And the judiciary is kind of a special box that you get placed into once you're elected. You don't see judges on social media. They don't write op-eds. You do your job. And I'm glad that you will not be distracted by that nonsense. We need you to be focused on protecting our rights.

Mm-hmm. Mm-mm.

That's right.

100 percent, yes.

What gives you hope?

I donated a kidney to my dad 24 years ago and it was at the National Institute of Health. So he's actually, he's in the books, he has a number assigned. We have a number assigned. But anyway, at 20, I'm thinking, my youngest is 20, 23 years ago, they estimated that kidney was gonna last 10, 15 years tops and it's still going strong. So that gives me hope.

Gosh, wow.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, wow.

Mm-hmm.

Wow.

What a wonderful gift. That's amazing.

It was a wonderful gift. For me too. To be able to do that for somebody that gave me life.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It really meant a lot to me. And it gives me hope when I hear things on the radio like there's a group called Lasagna Love and they make lasagnas for people that are going through a difficult time and they deliver the lasagnas with love and kindness. So people like that give me hope and people like

Asante Allah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

a man named Neil Harmon who is in the recovery field and I've encountered, you know, just like in everything, there's people that are in it for the right reasons and people that aren't.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

And Neil Harmon is, he's not from this area so I'm not promoting him or anything. ⁓ But that man doesn't give up on people. And he believes in them until they can believe in themselves. And I've seen that time and time again. And people like that give me hope.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, that's a lot of

great, great things that give those all give me hope. What great, great places to pull from.

What plans do you have to get yourself through these next few years?

Well, I am hyper-focused right now on this election.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

So my daughter's getting married in September, so we have that. My youngest will be graduating college in just two years left. So we have that. And I'm just going to keep doing as much volunteer work and doing as much good as I can. That's my plan.

Mazel Tov. That's so nice.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm,

that sounds good to me. Well, Dawn Burke running for the Court of Common Pleas in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I can't vote for you, but gosh, I hope everybody does, and it's very good that so many people showed up in the primary. What can people do to support your campaign?

people can reach out my website dawn Burke for judge number four dot com people can promote i'm running as a team so in order of where will be on the ballot we have linda bobbins first dawn de donato burke second that's me amy fitzpatrick is third and tiffany thomas smith is fourth so please spread the word please follow all of us on social media visit the website and

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm

Gotcha.

Mm-hmm.

let everybody know how very important these races are because they are they

Absolutely. That's right.

Again, I'll say it. I'll say it a million times. Every election is the most important election. And these judicial races are consequential. And the power that we have still exists, Pennsylvania, our vote. So I will definitely promote your campaign. I have a feeling this is not the last time we will cross paths. And thank you so much for coming here on The Zekely Podcast. I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much for joining me here on The Zekely Podcast. Say hopeful and get involved. And until next time, let's keep building a stronger Pennsylvania together.