An editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer identifies a major problem with judicial elections: money.  Citing the recent Report by Justice At Stake,

Today, PMC partners Justice At Stake, the Brennan Center for Justice and
the National Institute on Money in State Politics issued a new
report analyzing the last decade of judicial elections entitled "The New

Jury selection for the trial of former Luzerne County judge Mark Ciavarella will begin on February 7, 2011 in Scranton, a judge ordered Thursday.

Scheduling conflicts with Ciavarella’s attorneys as well as the need to carefully asses the jury because of extensive pre-trial media coverage postponed what U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik said he would have liked to begin in November.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, more and more litigants are foregoing hiring an attorney and instead choosing to represent themselves in court. The economic downturn has been cited as the most likely culprit.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will release the “Pennsylvania Dependency Benchbook,” a guide developed by Pennsylvania trial judges to aid lawyers and other judges in deciding whether, in juvenile dependency cases, a child should be removed from the home.

State Sen. Jane Orie and her sister, Janine Orie, will stand trial on allegations that they used the senator’s taxpayer-funded staff for campaign purposes, an Allegheny County judge ruled Wednesday.

When asked, people say that they place a high value on qualified, fair and impartial judges.  One of the most compelling reasons to adopt  merit selection is that it is designed to ensure that the judges who preside over our courts maintain the highest degree of integrity and ethical behavior. New data from American Judicature Society support this.
 

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