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Democrat Daniel D. McCaffery and Republican Carolyn Carluccio are running for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Electing judges is a bad idea, writes Robert C. Heim. AP File, Campaign Handout

Electing judges is a bad idea. There is a much better system.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

By ROBERT C. HEIM Published November 2, 2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer On Tuesday, Pennsylvania voters will elect a justice to fill a vacancy on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. For many, this will be a hard decision, because they will know little about what the candidates stand for. Unlike people...

Pennsylvania's judicial elections matter. Here's why.

Sunday, August 20, 2023

By PETER HALL Penn Capital-Star Between the intense campaigns of the midterm and presidential elections, statewide races for Pennsylvania’s appeals courts tend to take a back seat to mayoral and other local elections. In the wake of sweeping decisions on abortion and affirmative action from the U.S...

1,900 Hours and 42 Candidates: What Goes Into a Judicial Evaluation

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

By ALEEZA FURMAN The Legal Intelligencer Evaluating dozens of candidates eyeing Philadelphia judgeships is no easy task, leaders of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Judicial Commission said Monday. Behind the organization’s one- or two-word ratings are in-depth evaluations backed by nearly 140...

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts Forum Examines Threats to Pennsylvania's Constitution

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

By DEBORAH GROSS Philadelphia Bar Reporter Pennsylvania’s most “recent” Constitution was adopted in 1968 after the 1967 Constitutional Convention. Since that time, there has not been another Constitutional Convention, but there have been many proposed constitutional amendments, some of which have...

Officer arresting a man. Shuttershock image

Commentary: Eyes on Philadelphia's Busiest Criminal Courtroom

Monday, January 10, 2022

By DUNCAN HARDIMAN The Legal Intelligencer Concern about this court arises, however, as it has the potential to become a dehumanized assembly line of lost defendants pushed through the process. Philadelphia’s preliminary arraignment court is likely the least glamorous in the city. It is held deep in...