Allegheny County deputy district attorney David Spurgeon is now Common Pleas Judge David Spurgeon.

The McKeesport native made the transition this morning as he was sworn in before more than 200 people in a crowded courtroom of the City-County Building.

Judge Spurgeon, 45, was appointed to the bench by Gov. Tom Wolf after being nominated by state Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, and being confirmed by the Senate.

He fills a seat vacated by Judge Kathleen Mulligan, who took senior status. The appointment runs until Jan. 1, 2018. To remain on the bench, Judge Spurgeon will have to run for election next year to a 10-year term.

He graduated from Duquesne University School of Law in 1996 and has been a prosecutor in the DA's office since 1998. He became a deputy DA in 2009 and oversaw the domestic violence unit.

"From the moment he walked through the doors of law school, David was training to be a judge," said Mike Manko, speaking on behalf of District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.

Judge Spurgeon, who sought the Democratic endorsement for Common Pleas Court in 2015, said he knows his appiontment is short.

"It does not belong to me. It belongs to you, the citizens of Allegheny County," he said.

Deputy district attorney Jennifer DiGiovanni, who read the governor's proclamation, said, "He has the intellectual ability, but he also has the integrity and compassion to excel."

Sen. Brewster wished Judge Spurgeon luck and praised him for all of his hard work.

"What a great profession to part of," Sen. Brewster said. "This profession touches the hearts and minds of everybody. They are the backbone of our democracy."

Paula Reed Ward: pward@post-gazette.com.

First Published: August 1, 2016, 5:15 p.m.