PA Effort Oust All Incumbent Judges Insulting: to voters

Have to agree with Marks. "It's insulting to voters seeking to make informed choices," said Lynn A. Marks, who heads Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. The nonpartisan group joined with the League of Women Voters and two other civic groups in urging voters to consider the record of each judge.

In fact, here at Net the Truth Online, the same thinking was applied to the movement in 2005 and 2006 to replace ALL incumbents, even if those incumbents didn't vote for the "midnight" payraise, or the unconstitutional unvouchered expenses and didn't take either! In fact, what happened in many of the subsequent statewide races for representatives with the fervor to replace the incumbent with anybody - what happened was the local political party machine whether Democrat or Republican strongholds installed their own replacement anyway. The names and faces may have changed, but the "party" games remained during the Primary election and after the General Election.

Obviously, others don't think the idea to oust each and every candidate seeking judicial retention is worth much either...

Throwing Out All of the Judges Will Only Make Things Worse
The Legal Intelligencer
Monday, September 24, 2007

http://www.law.com/jsp/pa/index.jsp

Legal Intelligencer Weighs in on PACleanSweep

http://www.keystonepolitics.com/story/elections/2007-elections/legal-intelligencer-weights-pacleansweep

Judging judges Oct. 4, 2007

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07277/822996-366.stm?cmpid=elections.xml

Plan to oust judges spurs ire, debate
Activists: Judges should pay for tacit support of pay raise. Judges: They should be judged on their records
By RICHARD FELLINGER
Harrisburg bureau
Article Last Updated: 09/30/2007 01:19:39 AM EDT

http://www.yorkdailyrecord.com/newsfull/ci_7041473

Friday, September 14, 2007
When lawyers attack

http://tonyphyrillas.blogspot.com/2007/09/when-lawyers-attack.html

Commonwealth Foundation
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sweep The Judges?

http://cfpolicyblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/sweep-judges.html

Pa. backlash hitting judges - and critics
By Emilie Lounsberry Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted on Sun, Oct. 14, 2007

...The attempt to throw out several dozen incumbents has triggered criticism outside the black-robed circles.

"It's insulting to voters seeking to make informed choices," said Lynn A. Marks, who heads Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. The nonpartisan group joined with the League of Women Voters and two other civic groups in urging voters to consider the record of each judge.

This month, former Gov. Tom Ridge also went on the attack as he stumped for GOP judicial candidates, expressing concern that qualified judges might be ousted.

Commonwealth Court Judge James G. Colins, who is stepping down in January, said dumping virtually every judge would "cripple" the system by causing delays in trials and appeals.

"The concept of throwing out every judge is absurd," he said.

The controversy comes in an election year of high significance for the state judiciary.

Voters will decide whether to give Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Saylor another 10-year term. They also will pick two new justices for the seven-member court and three new Superior Court judges.

In addition, two Superior Court judges and three Commonwealth Court judges, including Leadbetter, are up for retention votes, as are trial judges from many parts of the state.

In Philadelphia, 10 Common Pleas Court judges, six Municipal Court judges, and one Traffic Court judge face retention votes - and PACleanSweep is urging "no" votes for all.

The idea of voting against judges just because they received a raise is a "completely irresponsible barometer" for assessing whether they are qualified for retention, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Mark Bernstein said...

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/chester/20071014_Pa__backlash_hitting_judges_-_and_critics.html

Judging Judges

http://judiphilly.blogspot.com/2007/10/judging-judges.html

Retention repeat?
Pennsylvania - September 13, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.judicialselection.us/news/detail.cfm?statenewsid=138

Discussion

http://www.pennlive.com/forums/capitol/?initial=true

editorial

Well this should create quite the precedent
blieberman@patriot-news.com, 10/15/07 7:15 AM EDT
UPDATED: 10/19/07 2:10 PM EDT

...The paralysis might not just be limited to the state's top appellate court, though and could extend to the entire state judicial system if voters heed the call of government reformers like the group PA Clean Sweep that are urging voters to vote "no" on retention votes for 66 of 68 judges from Commonwealth Court to common pleas.

The targeted judges are those who have not publicly turned down the pay raise they received from the much-criticized 2005 legislative pay raise deal that also bumped up judges pay. While legislators later backtracked and rescinded their own pay hike, the Supreme Court ruled that the state Constitution blocked the Legislature from cutting judges' pay.

Gov. Ed Rendell would appoint replacements subject to state Senate confirmation, which could take months, if voters toss Saylor or other judges. But the delay in their appointments and the time it takes for new judges to learn the system would leave the courts in shambles, current and former justices and legal experts are warning.

"The call to voters not to use their minds and evaluate the record of service and to simply vote 'no' is in our view not responsible," said Andrew Susko, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

But continued voter anger in parts of the state and the uncertainty over retention votes that had been taken for granted until Justice Russell Nigro narrowly lost his up-down vote in 2005 has many judges at the county level who never cast a vote for a pay raise worried that they could be the next victim....

http://www.pennlive.com/politics/article240364.ece