judgesonmerit.org

Tuesday’s primary election included a number of judicial races. In terms of statewide seats, there were openings on the Superior and Commonwealth Courts. For the Superior Court seat, Harrisburg lawyer Vic Stabile won the GOP primary. In the general election he will face Allegheny Judge David Wecht, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. New Hope lawyer Anne Covey won the GOP primary for the open seat on the Commonwealth Court, but her opponent has not yet been determined. The Democratic primary is still too close to call, featuring Doylestown lawyer Kathryn Boockvar and Pittsburgh lawyer Barbara Behrend Ernsberger. Boockvar is the candidate backed by the party, and she received a rating of “Recommended” from the PA Bar Association. The PA Bar Association rated Ernsberger “Not Recommended.”

Locally, there are ten seats open on the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. Only eight candidates ran on the Republican ticket, so they all receive spots in the general election. They are – Jim Divergilis, Fran Shields, Ted J. Vigilante, Anne Marie B. Coyle, Maria McLaughlin, Kenneth J. Powell Jr., Sayde J. Ladov, and Charles Ehrlich. Of those, only Shields did not also run on the Democratic ticket. The ten leading vote getters in the Democratic party were Sean Kennedy, Jonathan Q. Irvine, Angelo J. Foglietta, Maria McLaughlin, Diana Anhalt, Vincent L. Johnson, Barbara M. McDermott, Carolyn H. Nichols, Edward C. Wright, and Charles Erlich. Seven of these ten were endorsed by the Democratic City Committee. In the Municipal Court primary, Democratic City Committee backed Marvin Williams won. There was no Republican candidate for Municipal Court judge.

Many other local judicial races took place across the state.

In her monthly column in the Philadelphia Bar Reporter, Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Sayde J. Ladov comments on recent episodes of Pennsylvania judges getting into trouble.  After noting the Luzerne County scandal and several recent judicial discipline cases, Ladov exclaims:

At this point, any right thinking human would say: what’s going on here? Is justice for sale? How far have we fallen? (An aside: If this is not the best reason for merit selection, then I have yet to figure one out.)

Ladov goes on to explain that it is incumbent on members of the legal profession to protect the independence of the judiciary.  At the same time, she urges the bar to criticize unethical conduct by judges.  She encourages lawyers to speak out about issues affecting and involving judges and the justice system, including Merit Selection:

You can talk to your elected official about the need for merit selection.  In fact, you can make it your personal campaign issue, something as personal and important as healthcare or tax reform.

Thanks to Chancellor Ladov for her support. We hope members of the bar will heed her call to action.