April 20, 2010
Governor Rendell will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Harrisburg to discuss merit selection of judges. At PMC we are happy that the governor is addressing such an important issue and pressing for action.
Pennsylvania currently selects all of its state judges in hugely expensive, contested partisan elections. PMC and other reformers have long called for a change to a merit-based system of selection for the appellate bench. Judges would be chosen by the governor from a list of highly-qualified candidates assembled by an independent bipartisan citizens nominating commission. Bills to enact such a change are currently pending in the legislature.
