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Governors Support Merit Selection in the Wall Street Journal

Four former governors of Pennsylvania have written a letter to the Wall Street Journal expressing their support for merit selection in the state.

April 8, 2013

Four former governors of Pennsylvania have written a letter to the Wall Street Journal expressing their support for merit selection in the state.

Federal Judge Delays Judicial Retirement Case Pending Supreme Court Consideration

U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III issued an order delaying action on a pending lawsuit concerning Pennsylvania’s mandatory retirement law for judges aged seventy.

April 5, 2013

Eight New Court Advocates Sworn in to Aid Children in Court Proceedings

Eight new court advocates have been sworn in to the Court Appointed Special Advocate program in Luzerne County. The program was created to safeguard the interests of abused and neglected children making their way through the Dependency Court, a branch of the Juvenile Court.

April 4, 2013

Philadelphia Bar Association Releases Judicial Candidate Ratings

The Philadelphia Bar Association’s (“PBA”) Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention has rated ten Philadelphia judicial candidates as “recommended” and eight as “not recommended.” According to PBA Chancellor Kathleen Wilkinson, the PBA considers legal ability, experience, integrity, temperament, community involvement, and judgment when assessing the candidates.

April 3, 2013

Court Closures and Furloughs Follow Federal Budget Cuts

The recent mandatory federal budget cuts known popularly as sequestration have begun to affect the operation of federal district courts throughout the United States. Courts across the country have announced furloughs and courthouse closures, according to a recent article in the Legal Intelligencer(subscription required).

April 2, 2013

Jury Commissioners Seek Position on May Primary Ballots

Pennsylvania jury commissioners are seeking placement on next month’s primary ballots following a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in their favor. A Commonwealth Court judge will hear arguments Wednesday concerning the now complicated election circumstances.

April 2, 2013

Pennsylvania Judges Not Prohibited from Earning Income on Corporate Boards

Pennsylvania is one of the few states that allow sitting judges to earn additional income from corporate business while sitting on the bench. Of forty-seven full-time common pleas judges in Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Carbon, Monroe, and Schuylkill counties, three serve on the boards of banks, as reported by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

April 1, 2013

Supreme Court Grants Extraordinary Relief to Judicial Retirement Claims

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has issued orders granting extraordinary relief in two law suits challenging Pennsylvania’s mandatory retirement age for judges. The court will hear Montgomery County Judge Arthur Tilson’s case in their May session in Harrisburg, along with the separate combined claim of Judges Driscoll, Moss, and O’Keefe.

March 29, 2013

Lycoming County develops programs based on rehabilitation and therapy as alternatives to incarceration

Lycoming county is trying to develop alternatives to incarceration, in an effort to keep its prison population from swelling without impacting public safety.

March 28, 2013

 

Talk Stirs on Filling Melvin’s Vacant Supreme Court Seat

Following Joan Orie Melvin’s resignation from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, talk has quickly started on the process of filling the vacant seat.

March 27, 2013