Two great scandals have rocked the political and legal establishments of Pennsylvania this year: one in the judiciary and one in the Legislature. What have we learned from the experience? Have we simply unearthed and brought to justice a few bad apples or is there something more sinister or systemic at work that we can and should ferret out and squelch? And does the reigning political and legal establishment care to find out?
The exploits of former Luzerne County Judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan have severely tarnished the Pennsylvania judiciary. Accused of unconscionable acts of corruption, they pleaded guilty to failing to disclose a substantial conflict of interest in cases on which they ruled and failing to report taxable income. Unwilling, however, to accept responsibility for the Dickensian scheme of trading kids for cash, denying any quid pro quo for the undisclosed millions they had received and facing a tough federal judge unwilling to accept a pre-arranged sentence amidst swirling talk of a widening investigation into mob connections and an iron-fisted rule over the county courthouse, the two disgraced judges withdrew their pleas and will soon stand trial.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
