The Legal Intelligencer (subscription required) reported on the staffing situation in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Over the summer, several judges were confirmed to fill vacancies on the common pleas bench. As a result of these confirmations, the court was required to eliminate an equal number of senior judges from its staff. However, shortly after the senior judges were dismissed, they were reinstated in order to meet the staffing needs of the court. Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge John W. Herron called the return of the senior judges “really serendipitous.” Four judges were added back to several different divisions of the court.
 
The judiciary has contended for the past few budget cycles that the courts are not receiving enough funding to meet costs. The dismissal of the senior judges was meant to be an economic move that would save the court money. However, the economic benefits are tenuous. Judge Herron pointed out that removing senior judges from the Municipal Court in response to the appointment of two new Municipal Court judges would not result in any cost savings because those senior judges do not keep active schedules.