PA: Advocates of picking judges by merit push their case
Mark Scolforo of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:
Advocates for replacing Pennsylvania’s system of electing appellate judges with an appointive system launched an effort yesterday to convince the legislature that change was needed.
The nearly $8 million in campaign donations generated by last year’s state Supreme Court races show that judicial independence is at risk, and polls show people are concerned, said Lynn Marks of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts.
“I’m not saying that any of these judges are influenced, but the perception out there is staggering,” Marks said at an event in the Capitol Rotunda attended by a smattering of lawmakers and others who want the legislature to begin the two-year process to amend the state constitution.