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Pa. Senate confirms Corbett's judicial nominees, adds funds

HARRISBURG - In one fell swoop late Saturday night, the state Senate confirmed a slate of judges to fill vacancies in county courts, including Philadelphia's, while quietly addressing concerns of the state's top jurist by tossing in funding to pay them.

HARRISBURG - In one fell swoop late Saturday night, the state Senate confirmed a slate of judges to fill vacancies in county courts, including Philadelphia's, while quietly addressing concerns of the state's top jurist by tossing in funding to pay them.

The nominations by Gov. Corbett came over the objections of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille, who had asked the governor to hold off because of the courts' $8.7 million shortfall.

But in May Corbett went ahead and nominated his longtime friend, and exiting chief of staff, William Ward, to serve on the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas. The move angered Castille, who accused Corbett of playing politics with judgeships.

Then Corbett nominated six others, including Kenneth Powell Jr. and Roger Gordon, to fill vacancies on the Philadelphia County court, and J. Scott O'Keefe and T. Francis Shields to the Philadelphia Municipal Court.

In the midst of the last-minute budget rush, an extra $1.1 million turned up in the fiscal bill for the judiciary - about what Castille estimated it would cost the judiciary to cover the salaries of the judges and their staffs.