Of all the system failures that led to the Luzerne County judicial scandal, one of the worst was the Judicial Conduct Board's whiffing on a detailed complaint against former judge Michael T. Conahan that alleged case fixing, mob ties, and the basics of the "kids-for-cash" scheme. Now that the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice has issued its report, it's up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to make sure the JCB undergoes meaningful reform.
There's no reason to believe the JCB won't fail again unless the justices step in. And I have real concerns that unless they do, the JCB is going to return to doing what it does best: ignoring real corruption and looking to kick only the most unpopular judges off the bench.
My fears stem from listening to some knowledgeable and sensible people make excuses for the JCB. Some of these folks claim the JCB is simply being used as a scapegoat for what happened in Luzerne County.
Right now the JCB has gotten knocked around in the press and by the ICJJ. But other than that, there have been no repercussions at an agency that was alerted to the worst judicial scandal in Pennsylvania history almost four years ago and did nothing.
Full Editorial and Source:
PA Supreme Court Shouldn't Let JCB Off the Hook
The only thing wrong with the JCB is that it's not run by real people - nonlawyers!
ReplyDeleteExactly Anonymous!
ReplyDeleteAll complaints should be open records ....... then people would know these Judicial Boards are a joke.
ReplyDeleteComplaints need to be investigated by real, uninvolved, nothing to gain people.
ReplyDeleteJustice must be subject to accountability or there is no justice!