US Supreme Court Won't Hear Ciavarella Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of former Luzerne County Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., according to an order posted Monday morning on the high court’s website.

The ex-judge’s appeal was a long shot and denial was likely, Ciavarella’s attorneys previously said, since the Supreme Court only hears about 75 of the 10,000 cases each year it is asked to consider.

Ciavarella, jailed for 28 years on corruption charges, has now exhausted all his appeals options. The only thing he and his attorneys can do now is ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision, something his attorneys don't plan to do.

The court did not give a reason for denying the appeal. Ciavarella case was just listed under a heading of "CERTIORARI DENIED."

“Are we disappointed? Sure we are. But we understand the Supreme Court takes very few cases in the course of the year,” said attorney Al Flora Jr., who represented Ciavarella along with attorney William Ruzzo. “I know it’s very difficult to get cases before the court. We gave it our best effort, and that’s all that could be expected.”

 

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US Supreme Court Won't Hear Ciavarella Appeal