Judge Ann Lokuta Loses

The state Supreme Court has affirmed former Luzerne County Judge Ann H. Lokuta’s removal from the bench, seemingly bringing to an end a protracted saga involving allegations of prejudice, selective prosecution and judicial conflicts of interest.

In a 35-page majority opinion, Justice J. Michael Eakin wrote for a 4-1 majority that Lokuta failed to develop several of her arguments, waived others and, overall, offered too many tenuous pieces of evidence in an attempt to show a conspiracy against her.

The judge was removed from the bench in December 2008, after she was found to have mistreated lawyers and court staff, disregarded her duties and failed to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Since then, she has argued that fellow former Luzerne County Judges Michael T. Conahan and Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. orchestrated a conspiracy to remove her from the bench.

Conahan and Ciavarella were charged by federal investigators with accepting more than $2.8 million from the builder and former co-owner of a private juvenile detention facility. Investigators have alleged they took the money in exchange for sending children there.

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Justices Uphold Lokuta's Removal From Judicial Post