In the Nov. 3 election for three statewide appellate courts, Pennsylvania voters need to look beyond party labels — if only as a statement that partisan politics has no place in choosing the best judges.
Indeed, the debate swirling around the race to fill one seat on the state Supreme Court is a condemnation of the process of selecting judges by ballot rather than merit-based appointment.
Backers of both the Republican and Democratic candidates have sought votes on the basis that the victor will determine the political balance on the seven-member court, thus playing a role in redrawing legislative districts following the 2010 census.
Such a cynical outlook is just what the state’s judiciary does not need right now, given a crisis of confidence over two Luzerne County judges facing charges for jailing juveniles in a kickback scheme.
Stuck with a bad system, the best that voters can do is pick candidates likely to bring legal scholarship, judicial temperament, ethical standards and a good work ethic.
Federal District Court Judge Eduardo C. Robreno sent the right message in sentencing the former head of a Northeast charter school to more than three years in prison.
Robreno correctly pointed out that Kevin M. O’Shea “did not break into the school in the middle of the night and steal the money. He did so in the daylight.”
O’Shea’s 37-month sentence is a needed warning shot to state education officials, the Philadelphia School District, and other charter-school operators. Robreno called for increased oversight of the taxpayer-funded charters so “this type of criminal activity is not allowed to be repeated.”
High-profile cases like this one are meant to serve as a deterrence to others, in addition to punishing the wrongdoers. That’s in part why the judge gave O’Shea the maximum sentence.
Rep. John Adler (D., N.J.) left some big shoes to fill when he left his state Senate seat for U.S. Congress last year. Now, Camden County’s Sixth District must choose between two candidates who would have to work hard to reach that standard.
Adler was replaced by fellow Democrat James Beach, who was appointed by the party’s county committee to finish the term. Having held the office less than a year, Beach hasn’t gotten up to speed in representing the district, which includes Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, and Collingswood. But his opponent, Republican Joe Adolf, a former mayor of Magnolia, brings little to the table other than his unquestioned desire to serve the public.
Give Adolf, 72, credit for taking up the party banner in a district where Republicans are outnumbered 2-to-1. He also ran against Adler in 2003 and 2007. But Beach has a better chance of working with the majority party’s leadership in the Legislature to benefit his constituents. The Inquirer endorses JAMES BEACH.
Beach, 63, of Voorhees, previously served as Camden County clerk and as a freeholder. He is a retired high school teacher, football coach, and guidance counselor. In the past legislative session, Beach cosponsored a bill to eliminate school districts that have no operating schools. He also introduced two bills to combat child pornography.
Given Beach’s freshman status — and bad publicity for taking a pension-padding job at Camden County College, which he has since resigned — the Republicans may have missed an opportunity for an upset. The Sixth is one of only two districts with a state Senate seat up for grabs this year. But the GOP once again put up a token opponent.
Attorney General Tom Corbett's "Bonusgate" investigation, which had appeared dormant for so long, is showing signs of life again.
Reports surfaced this week that Rep. John Perzel (R., Phila.), the former House Speaker, and his former chief of staff were among 10 or so Republicans who received invitations to testify before a grand jury. "Invitation" sounds cordial, but essentially it means that criminal charges might be filed against them soon.
And now comes word that five Democrats in the government corruption scandal will plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors. That could be more bad news for former House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D., Greene), whose former chief of staff is one of those making a deal with Corbett's office.
DeWeese has stated he didn't know that Democratic officials under him were allegedly using taxpayer dollars to finance political operations.
Corbett, a GOP candidate for governor in 2010, has had to fend off accusations that he's waged a partisan probe by charging only Democrats. After the Nov. 3 election, we might find out more about how thoroughly he has scrutinized the Republican side of the legislature.
There’s no such thing as a perfect team, but the Phillies come as close as any team in the lifetime of a Philadelphia sports fan.
You could see it in the way the players celebrated Wednesday night upon winning a second consecutive trip to the World Series. They were happy and proud, but they didn’t get carried away. They acted as if they expected this success and understood they still have unfinished business.
Their blend of ability, confidence, and character is rare. And it’s a combination that Philadelphia fans fully appreciate, in spite of themselves.
Over the years, fans in this town have been conditioned to assume the cruel ending. They have come to expect the failed last-minute drive in the Super Bowl, or the ninth-inning rally against us with two outs.
The best way for Wilmington’s Roman Catholic Bishop W. Francis Malooly to demonstrate his stated concern for “all victims of sexual abuse by priests of our diocese” would be to give those victims their day in court.
Instead, Malooly’s eleventh-hour decision Sunday to file for bankruptcy protection effectively halted the first of eight clergy sex-abuse trials set to start the next day. That will have the net effect to further delay or perhaps thwart many victims’ long quest for justice.
The bishop wrote to the diocese’s 230,000 faithful that the “painful decision” to file for bankruptcy was intended to ensure that funds are available so that all of the victims get a fair settlement.
In other words, the bishop claims he doesn’t want one big verdict to deplete the church coffers and leave nothing for the other victims.
The perjury case against Louis A. DeNaples, the deep-pocketed and politically connected felon who was awarded a slots parlor license in the Poconos, may have ended months ago, but a witch hunt for alleged grand-jury leaks in the now moot case continues.
Congratulations to Cooper University Hospital and Rowan University. They’re holding a celebration today in Camden to mark their partnership to create a medical school.
The insurance industry may find out that there’s something worse than having to compete with a Medicare-style health plan for working-age Americans. How about yanking its long-standing exemption from federal antitrust laws?
Some lawmakers see a repeal as a good way to inject more price competition and efficiencies into the $2.5 trillion health-care economy.
The head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, Assistant Attorney General Christine A. Varney, told Congress last week that repealing the antitrust law, the McCarran-Ferguson Act, would spur competition and industry reforms.
What really revved up enthusiasm for the idea was the industry release last week of a flawed study on the various health-reform measures under consideration.
The death of mass murderer Howard Unruh renews a sense of loss for his victims’ families and for a once-bustling city that has eroded since his horrific crime 60 years ago.
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