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HARRISBURG
(Sept. 18, 2003) � The Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation
Commission today released its ratings of a Supreme Court justice, a Superior
Court judge and a Commonwealth Court judge, all of whom are standing for
retention in the November 2003 election.
The ratings for each retention candidate are:
�
Justice of the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania Ronald D. Castille �
Recommended
�
Judge of the Superior
Court of Pennsylvania Joseph A. Del Sole �
Recommended
�
Judge of the
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania James Gardner Colins �
Recommended.
(Editor�s Note: Descriptive paragraphs
supporting each retention rating are below.)
�The Commission�s job is to help the citizens of Pennsylvania make
informed choices about their judges before they enter the voting booth,� said
PBA JEC Chair Michael A. Bloom of Philadelphia. �We are firmly committed to the
notion that lawyers have a duty to recommend to the public the very best
candidates for judicial office, so that all of us can be assured of having the
very best judges on our appellate benches,� he said.
Because retention elections require only a �Yes� or �No� vote of the
public, the Commission rates retention candidates either as �Recommended� or
�Not Recommended.�
It based its findings for each candidate on a two-part evaluation
process. Investigative panels conducted the first phase of the process, which
included a thorough review of the candidate�s completed questionnaire, an
analysis of written opinions authored by the retention candidate within the last
three to five years, and interviews with judges and lawyers who have appeared
before the retention candidate. The panels then submitted confidential written
reports to the Commission outlining their preliminary, non-binding
recommendations.
Upon receipt and review of the investigative panel�s report, the
Commission interviewed the investigative panel chair and rendered its own
evaluation and recommendation.
Serving with Bloom in the
leadership of the PBA JEC is New Castle lawyer Richard E. Flannery as vice
chair. Lawyer members include Samuel T. Cooper III of Dauphin County; Chris F.
Gillotti of Allegheny County; Lucille Marsh of Lackawanna County; John R.
McGinley Jr. of Allegheny County; Steven E. �Tim� Riley Jr. of Erie County;
Jeffrey Rotwitt of Philadelphia County; Kathryn Lease Simpson of Dauphin County;
John F. Stoviak of Philadelphia County; and Louis N. Teti of Chester County. Lay
members are Ann Amore of Montgomery County; Christine James-Brown of
Philadelphia; Pamela J. Mayer of Westmoreland County; Jane G. Pepper of Delaware
County; Lawrence J. Rhoades of Westmoreland County; and R. Thomas Williamson of
Lawrence County.
The Pennsylvania Bar Association is a
professional organization that represents 26,000 lawyers across the
commonwealth.
SUPREME COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
The Honorable Ronald D.
Castille
Supreme
Court
A highly decorated Vietnam
veteran, Justice Castille was elected to the Supreme Court in 1993, after having
served as an Assistant District Attorney since 1971 and the elected District
Attorney of Philadelphia County from 1986 to 1991. During his ten
years on the bench, Justice Castille has established a reputation in the legal
community for being well-prepared, intelligent, fair, and courteous toward
counsel. He has demonstrated the highest level of integrity, adherence to
principle, and proper judicial temperament. His opinions are thoughtful
and well-researched. He has continued to remain involved in numerous
public activities while serving on the Supreme Court, and has been recognized
and honored by both legal and community organizations for his public service and
commitment to improving the quality of justice for Pennsylvania's
citizens. He has demonstrated all of the qualities requisite to a Justice
of the Supreme Court and has fulfilled with conscientiousness his
responsibilities on the Court during his term. Without doubt, he has
earned the right to be retained as a Justice of the Commonwealth's highest
court.
SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
The Honorable Joseph A. Del Sole
Superior
Court
Rating: Recommended
Judge Del Sole
has a long and distinguished tenure on the Pennsylvania Superior Court. He
first was elected to the Court in 1983 and was retained for a second ten-year
term in 1993. He currently is serving as President Judge of the Superior
Court having been elected to that position by his judicial peers. He
enjoys an excellent reputation in the legal community for his keen intellect,
professionalism, energy, essential fairness and unquestioned integrity.
His legal opinions demonstrate a sharp legal mind and are well-reasoned and
clearly written. Even parties who have been unsuccessful when arguing
before Judge Del Sole have acknowledged that his opinions are well-reasoned,
even-handed and thorough. Moreover, his warmth and generous spirit are
appreciated by lawyers who appear before him. He has demonstrated the
administrative skills necessary to manage one of the busiest intermediate
appellate courts in the United States. His commitment to enhancing the
quality of justice, his legal scholarship and his experience and skill should
permit him to continue to serve with distinction on the Superior
Court.
COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
The Honorable James
Gardner Colins
Commonwealth
Court
Rating: Recommended
Judge Colins has
served with distinction on the Commonwealth Court since he first was elected in
November 1983. He was retained by the voters for a second term in November
1993. He was elected to serve a five-year term as President Judge of the
court from 1994-1999 and was elected to a second 5-year term as President Judge
in January 2002. He is regarded as an able and apolitical administrator on
a well-functioning court with a history of collegiality among its
members. Judge Colins possesses strong legal and analytical
abilities that are evidenced by the piercing questions he poses to counsel which
inevitably are calculated to reach to the heart of the matter. He is
recognized as fair, impartial, even-tempered and respectful of counsel. He
possesses a refreshing sense of humor that he often uses to put counsel at
ease. His written opinions reflect both strong legal analysis and
excellent writing. His integrity is beyond reproach. He is uniformly
well regarded and well respected by lawyers who appear before him. For
these reasons, the Commission recommends that Judge Colins be retained as a
Judge of the Commonwealth Court.
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