Gavel Grab

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, a non-profit dedicated to “ensur[ing] that Pennsylvania has fair and impartial courts that serve all Pennsylvanians,” and ardent supporters of merit selection, added another group to their list of support for merit selection in Pennsylvania.

PMC announced, via their blog, Choose Judges on Merit, that the Pennsylvania Council of Churches has decided to publicly announce their support for the proposal to select Pennsylvania appellate judges by merit selection.  

This statement of support can be added to the testimony of numerous other groups and organizations like The Pennsylvania Bar Association, Common Cause Pennsylvania, and the American Judicature Society.

The Urban League of Philadelphia also has issued written testiony to the state Senate Judiciary Committee supporting merit  selection of Pennsylvania Appellate court judges.  The Urban League said a merit system would foster  greater  diversity on the bench.    

There are bills pending in the Pennsylvania legislature that would “replace the current process of electing appellate court judges with a new process that combines elements of elective and appointive systems: using a nomination process with a retention election component, and adding the unique element of an independent nominating commission to evaluate candidates and recommend the most qualified for possible nomination.”  

Check out the bills here, and the PMC blog entry here. 

Tags: Choose Judges on Merit, Merit Selection, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts