Local Judicial Candidates Snub Questionaire

Here’s a fast summary of the state of things from Tim…
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“For nearly two years, Allegheny County has been the epicenter of the citizen rebellion against the pay raise of 2005. Later that year, PA voters – including 60% of Allegheny County voters – removed a sitting Supreme Court justice from the bench for the first time in PA history.

You would think candidates for the four open seats on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas would want to help voters know where they stand on reform issues before May 15. Yet none of the 13 candidates has responded to a questionnaire based on the reform platform created by a professor at Duquesne University Law School.

What’s up with that? So far every candidate for the two open seats on the state Supreme Court has either responded to the same questionnaire or promised to respond in a matter of days. Plus, every candidate for retention on the state courts has pledged to respond by the end of May (they won’t be on the ballot until November).

Why are the candidates for Allegheny County judgeships ducking these questions:

Is it right for judges to hire their relatives and friends for important positions in the court system?
Is it right for judges to have secret meetings with lawmakers and governors about matters such as the pay raise?
Is it right for courts to issue orders without opinions that explain their legal authority and reasoning?
Is it right for courts to conceal administrative documents that deal with how judges spend tax dollars?
Is the court properly interpreting the Constitution to protect citizens from abuses by the other branches of government?
Does our court system operate in a way that builds citizen confidence or destroys it?

Meanwhile, two of the seven candidates for one open seat in Butler County have responded to the questionnaire.

If the candidates in Allegheny County won’t talk, how are we supposed to know whom to elect?”