HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today expressed his support for House Bill 1619, legislation that would establish a system of merit selection for state appellate judges. A House subcommittee held a public hearing on the bill today.

"Establishing a merit selection system would squarely remove the influence of money in our judicial elections and ensure fairness in the judicial system," Governor Rendell said in a letter to Rep. Matthew Smith, the bill's prime sponsor.

Governor Rendell called for adopting a new method of choosing judges for appellate courts in his second inaugural address almost 3 years ago. He has publicly spoken out on the subject again in recent weeks as part of a broader reform agenda aimed at removing the excessive influence of special interest money on elections and state policy issues.

The Governor said that although the current system has produced many excellent jurists, the nature of judicial election campaigns frequently leaves the outcome swayed by random factors having nothing to do with qualifications for the bench.

The Governor believes that a well designed selection system would go a long way toward ensuring that the best and brightest members of Pennsylvania's legal community would ascend to the bench regardless of political connections.

Media contact: Gary Tuma, 717-783-1116

Editor's note: The text of the Governor's letter to Rep. Smith is attached.

Dear Rep. Smith,

I am writing to express my strong support for your legislation, HB 1619, which would amend Pennsylvania's Constitution to establish a system of merit selection of our appellate judges.

I have said on many occasions that our system of electing appellate judges makes no sense. It is no secret that there is great concern in Pennsylvania about the role of money in judicial elections. Current law could allow judicial candidates to accept indirect contributions from lawyers and special interest groups that may eventually have to argue a case before that judicial candidate. It is no wonder that Pennsylvanians have been losing faith in our courts and our judges.

Establishing a merit selection system would squarely remove the influence of money in our judicial elections and ensure fairness in the judicial system. That is because merit selection will help ensure the most qualified individuals of all backgrounds from all parts of Pennsylvania -- even those without political connections -- get appointed to our appellate courts.

The great former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has recognized the importance of a merit based judicial selection system and aptly stated that, "I think you can have very fair [merit-based] systems and I wish more states would do it."

In short, HB 1619 will help ensure the most qualified and impartial individuals serve as our appellate judges. This would represent real governmental reform, and I applaud you on your efforts to achieve this critical goal.

Sincerely,

Edward G. Rendell, Governor

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.governor.state.pa.us