The Morning Call Endorsement
Jones and Todd, Panepinto and Lally-Green would restore Supreme Court’s image
Statewide appellate court races generally aren’t high-profile affairs. However, the 2005 pay raise controversy in Harrisburg, Chief Justice Ralph Cappy’s involvement in behind-the-scenes negotiations and the Supreme Court’s rulings on the pay raises changed that — a good thing. Voters are ready to scrutinize those who want to be a Supreme Court justice. It is a powerful position.
This year, Pennsylvanians will elect two new justices. One of these openings was created when angry voters, for the first time ever, removed a sitting justice in a retention election last year. The other vacancy was created by a retirement.
Seven candidates are running for the two seats — four Democrats and three Republicans. The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) has rated all but one candidate as ‘’recommended'’ or ‘’highly recommended.'’ The PBA did not recommend Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Willis W. Berry Jr.
Even judicial races have political overtones, and the state party committees made that evident in how they chose to bestow their endorsements. Both parties are supporting candidates they believe can win and those best qualified to serve on the state’s highest court. They got it half right. The Bar Association, for its part, got it entirely right. The candidates it rated ‘’highly recommended,'’ are the ones voters should nominate.
On its ticket, the Democratic Party snubbed one of the most qualified jurists The Morning Call has met in years — Philadelphia Common Pleas President Judge C. Darnell Jones. Even Gov. Ed Rendell rebuffed his own party to give Judge Jones his support — and with good reason. He is a compelling individual who overcame the vestiges of segregation to become a local hero in his hometown of Claremore, Okla., living by his family’s code of striving for excellence and dedication to community. He is a man of quiet but powerful intelligence, tempered by compassion, respected nationally for his knowledge of the law. He exudes the kind of integrity the Supreme Court needs to regain the public’s esteem.
Also deserving of votes on the Democratic ticket is state Superior Court Judge Debra Todd, who also believes that integrity must be restored to the Supreme Court. She has done exactly that in her nine years on Superior Court with her sharp intellect and a sense of fairness borne of her blue-collar roots growing up as a steelworker’s daughter in western Pennsylvania. She appreciates that the Supreme Court must be accountable to the public and could benefit from more transparency in its operations.
On the Republican side, Superior Court Judge Maureen Lally-Green and Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Paul Panepinto stand out.
Judge Lally-Green has distinguished herself during her nine years on Superior Court with easily understood opinions on complicated issues. She is a jurist with broad intellectual reach and sharp analytical skills balanced with unshakable impartiality and a commitment to the constitution. Her deep commitment to public service extends beyond the bench to teaching law and many community services.
Judge Panepinto is a nationally recognized expert on truancy matters and more recently has demonstrated administrative skills by sharply reducing the court’s huge backlog of mass tort cases. He matches a commonsense approach to jurisprudence with an energetic work ethic and a sharp legal mind. Gov. Rendell has also appointed him to the Supreme Court’s Court of Judicial Discipline where he helps oversee the conduct of all judges in the state.
The Morning Call recommends nominating Democrats C. Darnell Jones and Debra Todd and Republicans Maureen Lally-Green and Paul Panepinto.