The state Judicial Conduct Board could be held in contempt for failing to provide investigatory reports and internal correspondence to a state commission investigating the Luzerne County kids-for-cash scandal, the commission's chairman said.Conduct board members have maintained the reports and correspondence, related to their handling of misconduct complaints against the former judges accused in the scandal, are confidential.
The conduct board never took action on the complaints, which centered on allegations that former Judges Michael T. Conahan and Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. consorted with a mob boss, fixed cases for allies and stocked court offices with family and friends.
"We can't assess whether or not there ought to be changes in the judicial discipline process without knowing what the judicial discipline process is, essentially," said John M. Cleland, the chairman of the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice.
The conduct board has refused to comply with a subpoena the Interbranch Commission issued late last year demanding the documents.
Last week, the state Supreme Court ordered the board to turn over a copy of one of the complaints, a previously confidential set of allegations from 2004, but ruled it could keep the other documents secret.
In a concurring and dissenting opinion, Justice Max Baer suggested the contempt process could be used as a last resort if the conduct board continued to rebuff the commission's demands.
Full Article and Source:
Board Could Face Contempt for Failing to Provide Reports to Commission
See Also:
PA Judicial Conduct Board Must Turn Over Conahan Complaint
All to often no action is taken in protecting the citizens from corruption. The records are often sealed or confidential making it almost impossible for exposure. I'm so gad to see this case moving forward.
ReplyDeleteInstead of "could", it should be "is"
ReplyDeleteConfidentiality in judicial complaints protect the judges.
ReplyDelete