PMC’s founders were motivated to create a new organization by a 1988 report by the Pennsylvania Judicial Reform Commission, a blue-ribbon panel of civic leaders, public officials, legal professionals and members of the judiciary commissioned by Governor Casey and chaired by then-Superior Court Judge Phyllis W. Beck, found that confidence in the judiciary was appallingly low, in large part due to the system of electing judges, including the fundraising that went along with it. This, combined with several scandals in the late 1980’s involving Pennsylvania judges led to the formation of PMC.
PMC was founded to work to reform Pennsylvania’s courts, focusing on transforming the method of judicial selection, with the ultimate goal of enhancing public confidence in the courts and the judiciary. The founders of PMC believed that real reform required a new, independent, statewide organization, separate from established bar associations and independent of any government-appointed commissions.
PMCAction
PMCAction is a related nonprofit organization that lobbies for court reform. Its goals are to (1) educate the public and legislators of Pennsylvania about the need to improve and reform the Commonwealth's judicial system through the adoption of various reforms, including merit selection of appellate judges, and (2) work for the adoption of judicial reforms through lobbying. PMCAction is a section 501(c)(4) corporation, and contributions to PMCAction are not tax-deductible.
