Sandusky hearing on his appeal

Pennsylvania Attorney General attorney James Barker, shown here in this 2013 file photo, is being restored to his former job in the state Attorney General's office. Barker was fired from that position by former Attorney General Kathleen Kane after he testified against her in a grand jury leaks investigation. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com

(Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com)

A top lieutenant who was fired by former Attorney General Kathleen Kane after he testified against her in a grand jury leak investigation has been restored to his former position in the Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Bruce R. Beemer announced that James P. Barker will return Nov. 2 to the position he previously held of chief deputy attorney general of the Criminal Law Division's Appeals and Legal Services Section.

"We are extremely pleased to restore a valued employee to a position in which he has ably served in the past," Beemer said in a written release. "Jim is a man of principle and a gifted attorney who provided guidance to many of his colleagues."

Barker last year sued to get his job back, claiming he was fired by Kane for his grand jury testimony. The grand jury later recommended she be indicted on criminal charges.

Kane was convicted and last week sentenced to 10 to 23 months in prison on charges she leaked secret grand jury information and lied about it.

Beemer said Barker's return to the office follows a settlement of his lawsuit. As part of the settlement, Barker's annual gross salary will be $113,617, according to the Attorney General's office. He will also receive a payment of $18,000, minus required withholdings and deductions, for compensation for lost wages, and a payment of $52,000 for non-wage losses. An additional payment of $90,000 will be made to the law firm that represented him, Post and Schell, PC.

Barker was fired by Kane in April 2015, a move she said at the time was part of an office restructuring. Since May 2015, he has worked for the state Supreme Court, investigating and prosecuting complaints of misconduct by attorneys.

Barker started work in the Attorney General's office in 2009, as deputy attorney general in the Appeals and Legal Services section, and was promoted to chief deputy of the section in 2011. The section represents the Commonwealth in appeals and other post-sentence matters, supervises grand juries, litigates capital cases and provides support to trial prosecutors in the office.

Prior to joining the Office of Attorney General, Barker served for more than eight years as a deputy district attorney in Dauphin County.