Patrick R. Tamilia was born in Pittsburgh’s West End section on April 28, 1932. He served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and was a commissioned artillery officer during the Korean War. Judge Tamilia completed all of his higher education at Duquesne University.
He served Allegheny County as a home detention supervisor for delinquent boys and a Juvenile Probation Officer as he attended law school at night. In 1960, he became the lead law clerk for six Domestic Relations Judges, and appointed Director of Domestic Relations in 1962. From 1969 to 1983, Judge Tamilia began his judicial career on Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas. In 1984, Judge Tamilia ascended to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania by winning a full ten-year term.
Tamilia has authored numerous articles on juvenile delinquency, mental health, and family court. He taught at Duquense’s Law School for over 30 years and was named as one of the 100 members of the Century Club, at that institution. He held the position of Honorary National President of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, and was active on the Supreme Court’s Domestic Relations and Juvenile Courts Rules Committees.
In 2000, he co-authored (with John Hare) Keystone of Justice, a comprehensive history of the Superior Court from 1895 to present. Judge Tamilia won retention in 1993 and attained Senior Status in 1998. He retired from the Superior Court in 2008 and passed away on March 13, 2018 at the age of 89.