Pennsylvania Courts now have access to new jury management software that could save the courts money, increase juror diversity, and identify strengths and weaknesses in the jury selection system.

The Senate has confirmed the Governor's nominee Judge Robert Freedberg of Northampton County to fill the vacancy on the Superior Court.  The vacancy was created upon the election of former Superior Court Judge Joan Orie Melvin to the Supreme Court.  Judge Freedberg will serve until January 2012, at which time the judge elected in Nov.

In a letter to the editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, PMC opines on the controversy surrounding the development of a new Family Court facility for Philadelphia.  PMC has long been part of a coalition of advocates championing the need for a new, modern, unified Family Court, but we are concerned about recent rele

PMC's Lynn Marks appears on this week's Newsmakers with Terry Madonna to discuss Merit Selection of appellate court judges.The show follows PMC's recent release of a public opinion poll demonstrating widespread support for Merit Selection and an overwhelming desire to have the issue put to a public referendum. 

“Exactly what are we waiting for?” the Reading Eagle asks of a switch from elections of appellate judges to merit selection in Pennsylvania.
The recent opinion piece champions the many reasons why merit selection makes sense:

Governor Ed Rendell, former governors Tom Ridge, Richard Thornburgh and Mark Schweiker, Senator Jane Earll, and Representative Matt Smith were joined in Harrisburg today by PMC, PMCAction, Justice At Stake and the Committee for Economic Development to unveil a poll that shows an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians – 93 percent – want the opportunity to vote on whether the s

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts and PMCAction will hold a press conference in Harrisburg at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday June 9 to release the results of a statewide poll that indicate Pennsylvanians’ strong support for Merit Selection of appellate court judges (the judges on the statewide Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth courts.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has commissioned a study to determine whether the state should take over the court record keeping offices that include the clerk of courts, prothonotary, and register of wills. At present, most counties assign this task to elected officials.

In response to a request by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Castille, Governor Rendell has agreed not to make any more vacancy appointments to the state bench. The reason for the decision, announced at the beginning of this month, is budgetary.

The Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice studying  the Luzerne County scandal issued its Final Report today.  The report includes detailed recommendations to prevent such a scandal from occurring again.