Bar Association releases full slate of recommended candidates

The Philadelphia Bar Association released its second and final round of recommendations, Tuesday for city judicial elections, though some candidates have since withdrawn from the race.

This year Philadelphia has a record high number of bench vacancies – 12 open spots on the Court of Common Pleas and three on the municipal court. The opportunity drew more than 90 candidates to file paperwork to run for the two benches in March.

With minimal requirements: You must be 21, a Philadelphia resident and a licensed attorney; a $176,572 paycheck and a random process for picking the order names appear on the ballot, it's an enticing gig to go for.

Pennsylvania law also allows candidates to run for both benches so most candidates file for both courts, wait to see which ballot position is better, and then drop out of the other race.

The two courts are similar but far from identical. The Court of Common Pleas has 90 judges assigned to three divisions – Trial Division, Family Division and Orphans' Division. The Municipal Court, responsible for smaller claim civil cases and more minor criminal offenses which carry maximum five-year sentences, has 25 judges.

Of the 63 candidates initially running for Common Pleas, 19 have withdrawn. In the Municipal Court race only nine candidates remain out of an original pool of 36. That still leaves a lot of names – unknown to most voters – lining the ballot in the May 19th Primary.

The bar's team of 140 members, some non-lawyers, vets all the candidates who request a review. Those who do not approach the Association are automatically rated "not recommended." The Bar does not release who submitted and who didn't.

An initial round of ratings came out in April.

The ratings are described his way:

"Candidates found "Recommended" satisfied a cumulative review of criteria including qualifications such as legal ability, experience, integrity, temperament, community involvement and judgment. Candidates found "Highly Recommended" are extraordinary individuals who, in addition to meeting the "Recommended" criteria, are preeminent in the profession, exceptionally skilled in the law, possess a reputation for the utmost integrity and significantly will enhance or have enhanced the quality of the judiciary."

Find the full list of recommendations here.

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