The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday overturned thousands of juvenile-offender convictions handed down by a judge now charged in a corruption scandal.
The judge, Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, and Michael T. Conahan, a fellow judge who for a time was the chief of that court, are charged with taking more than $2.6 million in kickbacks from the owner of two privately run youth detention centers in exchange for their sending teenagers there.
The Supreme Court said the conviction of any juvenile who appeared before Judge Ciavarella after Jan. 1, 2003, was invalid. The justices barred the retrial of all but an estimated 100 of those cases.
The decision followed advice the court received from Arthur Grim, a Berks County judge whom it appointed in February to review juvenile cases involving Judges Ciavarella and Conahan.
Judge Ciavarella, who along with Judge Conahan awaits federal trial on charges of income-tax and wire fraud, routinely held juvenile hearings that lasted just minutes, failing to ask the youths before him whether they understood the consequences of waiving their right to a lawyer and pleading guilty.
“We concluded,” the justices wrote Thursday, “that the record supports Judge Grim’s determination that Ciavarella knew he was violating both the law and the procedural rules promulgated by this court applicable when adjudicating the merits of juvenile cases without the knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver of counsel by the juveniles.”
Full Article and Source:
Pennsylvania Overturns Many Youths Convictions
See Also:
Two Luzerne Ex-Judges Ask For Relief From Civil Suits
Lawyers in Civil Lawsuit Pull No Punches
9 comments:
This is so disgusting. I hope they make a national example out of these low life crooks who disgraced the courtroom and their judicial positions casting a dark shadow on the entire justice system nationwide.
Every case that passed under their noses or was touched by: Mark A. Ciavarella and his pal Michael T. Conahan must be examined by federal authorities post haste.
I think all case files in that county need to be examined whether or not these crooks touched the file because as we know corruption and collusion grows legs into other courtrooms leaving all cases suspect for wrongdoing.
Ciavarella and Conahan earned and deserve a prison death sentence: life in prison with no chance of parole.
I believe they belong in a federal hole for the rest of their lives.
Shameful behavior judges used their positions as financial predators to feed their greed, addicted to power and control.
NO MERCY! HARSH PUNISHMENT!
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court did the right thing. When a judge is diseased with corruption, all cases must be suspect.
Has anyone did any snooping around probate cases?
This is where the big money scandals are hidden.
How many petitions for guardianship are fraudulent?
This is big news and I am pleased to see the beginning of disinfecting the state of PA
What about collecting the $2.6 mil too?
Good point, Anon. Think how much they probably made incarcerating the elderly too.
Every case indeed, wisernow. You're absolutely right. How many other lives did these two low lifes destroy?
Thank you for following this story, NASGA.
once a crook always a crook and these judges are crooks and how many other had knowledge of what they did how much influence did these crooks have on other judges these are though provoking questions which need to be answered now lock them up take all they own
With these two brazen boys, we must wonder how high the level of corruption is in our "just us" system.
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