By Miles Bryan | Keystone Crossroads
• Jan 13, 2021 Sarah Kovash / 90.5 WESA
A proposed constitutional amendment that would drastically alter Pennsylvania’s judicial system advanced Wednesday with the blessing of the House Judiciary Committee.
The amendment would let voters choose to elect the state’s appellate court judges by region, instead of statewide a move opponents say would “gerrymander the court.”
The bill passed the GOP-controlled committee by a vote of 13 to 12 with two Republicans, Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) and Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny), breaking ranks to oppose the measure.
Republicans who back the measure say the idea would give voters in rural Pennsylvania a greater voice to elect judges.
ACLU sues court officials in Pennsylvania, saying defendants are being overbilled
Updated Jan 06, 2021;
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania sued court officials in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, alleging thousands of defendants were overbilled for court costs.
State law allows courts to assess costs created by the Legislature that are used to fund the criminal justice system, but they should be billed only once per case, regardless of how many charges or counts a defendant faces, the ACLU says in the lawsuit filed in Montgomery County Commonwealth Court.
The ACLU, along with attorneys from Langer, Grogan & Diver and Seth Kreimer, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, asserts that defendants have been charged hundreds or thousands of dollars of duplicative fees per charge, instead of per case.
Two more York County Judicial Center workers test positive for COVID-19
York Dispatch
Two more York County Judicial Center employees have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, which has previously alerted the public to 17 other such employee infections in the county s courthouse.
The latest employees to test positive for the coronavirus last worked in the judicial center on Dec. 15 and followed guidelines of using personal protective equipment and practicing social distancing when interacting with the public, the AOPC announced on Monday.
The AOPC has said it cannot make public in which judicial center offices the coronavirus-exposure cases are being reported.
Harrisburg district judge suspended with pay while she fights charges of interfering in son’s arrest
Updated Dec 18, 2020;
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Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight has been suspended with pay while she faces criminal charges related to the arrest of her son.
McKnight surrendered to the booking center Wednesday on three misdemeanor charges filed by the attorney general’s office: tampering with evidence, obstruction of law and official oppression. She was released on unsecured bail.
Common Pleas Judge John F. Cherry issued an administrative order Thursday suspending her immediately and requiring her to vacate her office by the end of business hours Friday until the criminal charges are adjudicated.
Today
Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Tonight
Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Updated: April 10, 2021 @ 6:51 pm