He continued his education locally, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in 1984.

He then attended Pepperdine University School of Law, and graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree in 1991.

[5] While in Congress, Platts refused to accept contributions from any special interests or political action committees.

Platts ran unopposed by the Democratic Party during the 2002 and 2004 elections, although in 2002, he faced opposition in the Republican primary, most notably from Tom Glennon.

[9] He faced York College professor and decorated Vietnam Veteran Phil Avillo, Jr., the Democratic nominee, and Derf Maitland of the Green Party in the 2006 election.

[11] As a Congressman, Platts supported many of President George W. Bush's initiatives, tax cuts, drilling in ANWR, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, the Iraq War, and a ban on same-sex marriage.

He has broken with his party on several issues, for example supporting President Obama's expansion of SCHIP and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Early in his political career, after his initial election to the Pennsylvania House, Platts supported abortion rights.

[18] In a poll conducted by the York County Bar Association, 77% of its members responded that they believed Platts to be "not qualified" to serve on the bench.