March 14, 2007
Bar Association Releases Judicial Ratings for May 15 Primary
Jane Dalton, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and Shelley R. Smith, Chair of the Association's Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention, today announced the results of the Commission's investigation into the qualifications of candidates for Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court in the May 15 primary election.
Dalton noted that the list of Recommended and Not Recommended candidates is still incomplete and said additional names and ratings will be announced as investigations are completed on the remaining candidates. "We wanted to get these names and ratings out as soon as possible and invite people to learn more about how and why we rate the candidates. They can do this by visiting our Web site at philadelphiabar.org," Dalton said.
The Chancellor pointed out that the Association's Campaign for Qualified Judges has launched a "Voters Guide to the Judicial Elections" on the Associations Web site. Dalton said the Association wants voters to know "not just who to vote for but why the judicial elections are so important and why we invest so much time and energy in reviewing and rating these candidates. This is the one place for voters to find thorough, non-partisan, objective ratings of the candidates."
The Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention is independent and non-partisan. It includes lawyers and non-lawyers. Among the members of the Commission are the Chief Public Defender, the President Judges of the Common Pleas and Municipal Courts, and representatives from the Asian, Hispanic and African American legal groups.
The ratings by the 30-member Judicial Commission follow extensive study and investigation by five-member panels of the Commission's own 120-member investigative division, which includes 40 non-lawyer members. Candidates found Recommended satisfied a cumulative review of criteria including legal ability and training, trial experience, character and integrity, judicial temperament, mental and physical capacity and community involvement. Complete details can be found at philadelphiabar.org.
The following judicial candidates, listed alphabetically, were found RECOMMENDED for election to the Court of Common Pleas:
| Daniel Anders | Recommended | |
| Linda Carpenter | Recommended | |
| Alice Beck Dubow | Recommended | |
| Michael Erdos | Recommended | |
| Joyce Eubanks | Recommended | |
| Ellen Green-Ceisler | Recommended | |
| Thomas Martin | Recommended | |
| Beverly Muldrow | Recommended | |
| Joseph T. Murphy | Recommended | |
| Thomas M. Nocella | Recommended | |
| J. Scott OKeefe | Recommended | |
| Angeles Roca | Recommended | |
| Meredith Seigle-DiClaudio | Recommended | |
| Sandjai Weaver | Recommended | |
| Marvin Williams | Recommended |
The following judicial candidates, listed alphabetically, were found RECOMMENDED for election to the Municipal Court:
| Joyce Eubanks | Recommended | |
| Joseph T. Murphy | Recommended | |
| Meredith Seigle-DiClaudio | Recommended | |
| Sandjai Weaver | Recommended |
Additional names and ratings will be announced soon.