7 judicial candidates get 'not recommended' verdicts from bar association
Seven judicial candidates yesterday received a "not recommended" rating from the Philadelphia Bar Association in advance of the May 17 primary election.
NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED
Seven judicial candidates yesterday received a "not recommended" rating from the Philadelphia Bar Association in advance of the May 17 primary election.
The bar association gave a thumbs-down to Common Pleas Court candidates Martin Coleman, Jim Divergilis, Tom Fitzpatrick, Beverly Muldrow, Lopez Thompson and Ted Vigilante. For Municipal Court, it did not recommend Coleman or Divergilis - both also running in that race - or Anita Smith.
Rudolph Garcia, chancellor of the bar association, said the group conducts an extensive review, which includes interviews with at least 15 associates of the candidate, before deciding how to recommend.
"It has nothing to do with politics and is based solely on qualifications. And it is based on judgment and judicial knowledge," Garcia said.
The ratings did not include all of the candidates running for the 11 open seats on Municipal and Common Pleas courts. Garcia said further ratings would be announced before the May 17 primary.
Three of the candidates who received "not recommended" reviews did not participate in the bar association's vetting process. They were DiVergilis, Thompson and Smith. A lack of participation automatically results in a "not recommended" status, according to the bar association. The bar association noted that DiVergilis was evaluated in 2003 and received a "not recommended" rating at that time, an evaluation which was good for three years.
The candidates recommended yesterday for Common Pleas Court were Drew Aldinger, Anne Marie Coyle, Charles Ehrlich, Michael Fanning, Angelo Foglietta, Vince Giusini, Roger Gordon Jr., Jonathan Irvine, Vincent Johnson, Sayde Ladov, Harry Levant, Christopher Mallios Jr., Barbara McDermott, Maria McLaughlin, Carolyn Nichols, J. Scott O'Keefe, Kenneth Powell Jr., Fran Shields and Joseph Waters Jr.
For Municipal Court, the association recommended Michael Fanning, Kenneth Powell Jr. and Vincent Johnson.
All candidates listed by the bar association are running either as Democrats or as both a Democrat and a Republican.