Jan 04 2010
Clear Evidence for Judicial Selection Reform
The Philadelphia Inquirer today called for judicial selection reform, arguing that “The case for reforming the way Pennsylvania selects its judges keeps getting stronger.” Citing PMC’s analysis of the fundraising and spending in the 2009 Supreme Court election, the editorial focuses on the poisonous role of money in judicial elections:
It’s the troubling influence of campaign fund-raising that continues to create the most concern about electing judges in head-to-head partisan contests.
Most Pennsylvanians say they suspect that justice is for sale because candidates for judgeships have to raise campaign funds. The big-spending 2009 Supreme Court election between Republican Joan Orie Melvin and Democrat Jack Panella did nothing to restore their fraying faith in an impartial judiciary.
The Inquirer urges action, and we hope the call is heeded:
Tags: Jack Panella, Joan Orie Melvin, judicial elections, judicial selection reform, Philadelphia Inquirer, PMCThe course for state policymakers is clear: Step in and reform judicial selection, or continue to preside over a system that erodes public confidence in justice as it’s dispensed in Pennsylvania.
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