Governor Rendell held a news conference today stressing the importance of House and Senate bills that would change the way Pennsylvania chooses its appellate judges from elections to Merit Selection. The constitutional amendment process requires that Pennsylvanians vote on this proposal to make such a change.
The governor has long endorsed this critical reform issue and explained why reform is critical to establishing a judiciary of the most qualified members and maintaining the public’s confidence in that bench.
The governor laid out some of the most compelling reasons for reform:

• The cost of judicial elections is skyrocketing. Much of the money comes from political parties and special interests, creating the appearance of impropriety. Judges should be impartial and not appear aligned with any particular interest.

• A recent study by the American Judicature Society shows that 60% of litigants, lawyers, or law firms that come before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have donated to the election campaign of at least one seated-Justice.

• Pennsylvania is behind the times; PA is one of only 6 states in the nation that continues to elect all of its state judges in contested partisan elections.

Merit Selection has bipartisan support and an exceptionally broad and growing coalition. Governor Rendell expressed frustration that the bill has not been voted on and urged the legislature to act. The governor noted the efforts of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts in working for Merit Selection.
Read our press release regarding the news conference here.