Anti-casino activists file complaint against judge

Anti-casino activists yesterday filed a complaint against state Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille, accusing him of breaching judicial ethics by blasting the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit accusing his predecessor of colluding with the legislature to secure judicial pay raises.

Casino-Free Philadelphia, which is fighting two casinos planned for the city's waterfront, asked the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board to investigate Castille for criticizing, and threatening sanctions against, the League of Women Voters in May. Castille issued a written statement regarding the league's lawsuit, which uses anonymous sources to allege that former Chief Justice Ralph Cappy met secretly with legislators to discuss the pay raise and linked the discussion with future rulings for the casino industry. Pennsylvania judicial canon forbids judges from speaking publicly about cases.

Castille was unavailable for comment, but a court spokesman noted that the case in question was not in state court.

- Jeff Shields