Orie Melvin Resigning From the Supreme Court



Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin convicted of public corruption submitted her letter of resignation from the court to Governor Tom Corbett according to this article on Philly.com.

Orie Melvin is due to be sentenced May 7 and in a letter to Gov. Corbett said "it is with deep regret and a broken heart" that she tendered her resignation, effective May 1. "It has been my honor and privilege to serve the people of this Commonwealth for the past 28 years, and I am deeply saddened that I am not able to fulfill my commission."

Gov. Corbett can appoint an interim justice to fill her spot on the seven-member court, with the approval of two-thirds of the state Senate. The appointee would serve through January 2016. The court is currently split 3-3 between Republicans and Democrats and Orie Melvin is a Republican.

The justice still plans to appeal her conviction.

It should be noted that members of the House of both parties were calling for efforts to start impeachment proceedings against her.  Instead she opted to perform her last action of public service and submit her resignation.

Will Gene Stilp Reject Kevin Blaum's Endorsement?

Kevin Blaum pens an opinion column for the Times Leader.  It is no secret that the editorial room of the Times Leader is  filled with some of the most liberal minds in the country.  Therefore it naturally follows that Republicans are not a welcome sight for their board.

Kevin Blaum opined in his latest column that voters should send Eugene Stilp to represent the 11th Congressional  District.  It is an almost unbelievable endorsement considering the issues Blaum addresses and his previous role on those very same topics.  Writing about Stilp he offers this perspective.

Best known for his work on a wide range of taxpayer concerns, Stilp is the proud owner of an oversized inflatable pink pig seemingly ubiquitous throughout central Pennsylvania.

Stilp's giant pink pig, coined Pignelope,  represents his perception of  government waste, fraud and corruption.  She comes in three sizes as well as a school bus painted pink which Stilp uses on his campaign trail traveling around the district.

One of the person's who exemplifies Stilp's cause against government waste is none other than Kevin Blaum.  Blaum was the architect of the  infamous"midnight pay raise of 2005" that Stilp successfully argued against before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to stop.

Bill O"Boyle of The Weekender(Times Leader) filed this report on Stilp's effort.

“The giant inflatable pig became a symbol of greed and fraud in government and helped defeat many incumbent legislators in 2006 and 2008 who had voted for the midnight pay raise,” Stilp said. “The legislators were being hogs. They were giving pigs a bad name. The pig had to fight back.”

RocktheCapitol with a motto of "the price of apathy is to be ruled by evil men" published this paper on the "pay jackers" who benefitted monetarily from their actions at the expense of Pennsylvania taxpayers.

Blaum's role in this midnight pay raise was multifacted according to their publication.

Mr. Blaum voted for the pay raise, and as minority caucus secretary (the fourth highest-ranking party job) he was flown from Iowa to Harrisburg ($716) courtesy of Mr. DeWeese’s “leadership account” on November 7 to vote on the pay raise repeal.

(Herald Standard, May 12, 2006) Mr.DeWeese is incarcerated for his role in Bonusgate

Defended perks:

“A car is a tool,” said Rep. Kevin Blaum, (D-Wilkes-Barre), who billed the state for a leased Ford Explorer and collected an average of about$1,500 a month in per-diems. “Certainly, no one is becoming rich off these expenses.” (Shamrock Times, November 13, 2006)

 

Per diems:

Rep. Blaum took 215 per diems in 18 months and made an extra $26,824

(Shamrock Times, November 14, 2006)  (Keep in mind that per diems are undocumented reimbursements)

Monthly pension & Approximate Lump-Sum Wiothdrawal

$4,579 ($115,000). ( The Associated Press, February 8, 2007)

Update:

Retired from the legislature, but works as “Associate director for admissions at a private school (Wyoming Seminary).” (Sources: Patriot-News and The Associated Press)

In this report RocktheCapitol makes the point that Blaum was the recipient of a pension bump.

So the questions for Eugene Stilp comes down to this.  Mr. Stilp are you willing to acknowledge that Kevin Blaum was verifying you were right about the egregious acts against taxpayers?  Are you willing to reject Mr. Blaum's endorsement as a conflict of interest against the principles you claim to represent?  Or, is the showmanship on these issues just attention seeking manuevers to get you elected to some position in government?  We are still paying for the benefits Blaum gets as a result of his self ingratiating actions.

After all Gene this isn't your first trip to the rodeo.  Let's not forget your failed  attempt against Representative Sue Helm(R) in the 104th district. 

Stilp is starting to look like Steve Urban,  wanting to run for any office hoping he gets something.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court- Out To Touch With Reality

The American Bar Association printed an article penned by Debra Cassens Weiss about the perks Chief Justice Ronald Castille receives while occupying his office.

Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald Castille drives a 2010 Cadillac, but he's not paying the lease costs. He has attended dinners, golf outings and a social meeting at a luxury hotel, but he's not picking up the tab.

The state pays for the Cadillac lease, a perk provided to state appeals judges, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Twenty-five judges lease taxpayer-financed cars, including Justice Max Baer of Mt. Lebanon. Baer drives a 2010 GMC Acadia he leases at government cost from his brother's Washington dealership, the story says. Thirteen judges don’t participate in the program.

Meanwhile some of Castille’s dinners and outings are paid for by lawyers and business people, including some with cases before the court, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier this month. Last December, he attended a meeting of the Pennsylvania Society, a state booster club, at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria. The law firm Saul Ewing paid the $1,900 tab for the hotel room and dinners, just as it had done the previous two years. Since 2007 the firm was involved in around 20 cases before the state Supreme Court.

A New York Times editorial criticizes the state ethics rules that allow Castille and other appeals judges to accept gifts as long as they disclose them. The state supreme court has ruled that it alone has the authority to set the ethics rules; almost no other state has rules that would allow the gifts.

Similarly, the state auditor general can’t audit the judiciary budget. “Appellate judges spend what they want, with little accountability,” the Tribune-Review says, quoting the opinion of Duquesne University law professor Bruce Ledewitz.

Castille said in a May interview that he accepts rounds of golf as gifts from friends at golf courses he could never afford, but did not give the Inquirer an interview for its November story. Saul Ewing lawyer Timothy Carson told the Inquirer the firm financed Castille’s New York trip because the justice should have a chance to interact with other state leaders.

Leo Strupczewski of the Legal Intelligencer writes this article about the precipitous drop in work output by Pennsylvania's highest tribunal

The state Supreme Court had one of its least productive years in recent memory in 2010, issuing far fewer opinions and hearing fewer cases than it had in the last decade.

Normally one to hear about 100 cases and issue authored opinions in another 150, the high court fell short of both traditional performance marks in 2010.

And it didn't come very close, either.

According to a review by The Legal , the justices authored just 67 published opinions in 2010 — a figure that represents a nearly 50 percent reduction in output over the year before. Similarly, the court scheduled just 79 cases for oral arguments last year — less than the 90 it scheduled in 2009 and the 125 it scheduled in 2008.

Though several individuals The Legal spoke with said it's better for the court to take its time when deciding confusing and complicated areas of law, 2010's low figures don't appear to be a result of the court becoming more judicious over what cases it takes or the court becoming more efficient in its work.

The justices, for example, granted allocatur in 497 cases from 2006 through 2010. And at the end of 2009, according to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, there were 280 "pending appeals" before the court.

Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille did not respond to an interview request for this story. Jim Koval, a spokesman for the judiciary, said at the time of that request that Castille would want to see the court's statistics before discussing workload.

Hank Grezlak of the Legal Intellingencer authored a great editorial, Pa. High Court Needs to Cure Its Black Robe Disease, about the Supreme Court which can be found here.

One wonders how the mess in the Luzerne County Courthouse started. Well, from reading these articles it appears it may have started with the lack of accountability at the top. Castille said he accepted the rounds of golf he could never afford. Castille's salary, not including benefits and pension contributions paid for by you and me, last year was $191,876.00. I guess that is a measely salary to be able to afford a $200.00 round of golf.

Oh, did I mention that he gets pensions from his service in the Marines as well as his stint with the Philadelphia District Attorney's office. Poor, poor, Ron.

Wegman's Upheld On Beer Sales

State Supreme Court upholds beer sales at Wegmans

Jurists Vehicle Costs In Pennsylvania

Brad Bumsted and Debra Erdley penned an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about the cost of vehicles and private leases for our Pennsylvania jurists. Below is an easy to read graphic about the problem.

Pennsylvania's top judges are among the nation's highest paid, with salaries ranging from $195,137 for the chief justice of the Supreme Court to $178,913 for other appellate judges, making their perks difficult for taxpayers to reconcile, said Greg Wrightstone of the PA Coalition for Responsible Government.


The Pennsylvania courts' car leases stand in stark contrast to courts elsewhere. In states surrounding Pennsylvania, top jurists get state fleet cars for court business only, or mileage reimbursement for business-related travel. No neighboring state permits them private leases.

Sally Updyke Mundy tops the class leasing a 2010 Mercedes Benz.