October 19, 2011

PHILADELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES JUDICIAL RATINGS, RELEASES POLL RESULTS

Rudolph Garcia, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, today announced the results to date of the Association's investigation into the qualifications of candidates for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court in the Nov. 8 general election. The investigation was conducted by the Association's Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention.

In addition, the Commission also released the results of a poll of all Philadelphia lawyers conducted for the Bar Association earlier this year by Votenet. The poll invited respondents to rate specific aspects of the judicial performance of each of the existing judges seeking retention for additional terms. Under the bylaws of the Association, the poll is not binding upon the Commission's deliberations, although it must be published with the Commission's findings.

"We wanted to get the results of our evaluations out as soon as possible and invite people to consider the ratings before casting their votes. They can do this by visiting our website at www.philadelphiabar.org," Garcia said. The Chancellor pointed out that the Association's Campaign for Qualified Judges has launched a banner that appears on the homepage of the Association's website. The banner contains a link to print the candidates' ratings so voters can bring the list to the polls. Garcia said the Association wants voters to know "not just who are recommended but why the judicial elections are so important and why we invest so much time and energy into evaluating these candidates. This is the one place for voters to find thorough, non-partisan, objective ratings of the candidates."

"In all, we conducted hundreds of hours of interviews, many hours of hearings, involved a great cross section of the Bar and lay people, all to the benefit of the Philadelphia voters. The Commission collects, evaluates and summarizes all of the information a voter could need," said Commission Chair Richard S. Seidel.

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 community leaders, officials including the District Attorney, Chief Public Defender, City Solicitor, and the President Judges of Common Pleas Court and Municipal Court, and representatives of minority legal groups and various sections of the Bar. The ratings by the 30-member Judicial Commission follow extensive study and investigation by the Commission's own 120-member investigative division, one-third of whom are non-lawyer members. Candidates found "Recommended" satisfied a cumulative review of criteria including qualifications such as legal ability, experience, integrity, temperament, community involvement and judgment. Complete details can be found at www.philadelphiabar.org.

The Commission expects to conclude its investigation process shortly, at which time a complete list of judicial ratings will appear at www.philadelphiabar.org.

The following judges, listed alphabetically, were found "RECOMMENDED" for retention to the Court of Common Pleas:

The following judges, listed alphabetically, were found "NOT RECOMMENDED" for retention to the Court of Common Pleas:

The following judges, listed alphabetically, were found "RECOMMENDED" for retention to Municipal Court:

The following judge was found "NOT RECOMMENDED" for retention to Municipal Court:

The Commission also announced its ratings of the following candidates who have been found "RECOMMENDED" for election to the Court of Common Pleas:

The Commission found the following candidates "NOT RECOMMENDED" for election to the Court of Common Pleas:

The Commission announced its ratings of the following candidates who have been found "RECOMMENDED" for election to Municipal Court: