Sunday, March 16, 2008

Push For Merit In Pa.

Congratulations to Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts (PMC) and our friends Lynn Marks and Shira Goodman on their new blog judgesonmerit.org.
On Tuesday, March 18, 2008, a new Merit Selection initiative for the Pennsylvania appellate courts will be announced by Senators Jane Earll and Anthony Williams and Representatives David Steil and Josh Shapiro , prime sponsors of the legislation. The Philadelphia Inquirer, in a front page article, describes this as a “major push” for Merit Selection.
PMC and PMCAction are very excited about this opportunity to change the way Pennsylvania chooses appellate court judges. Merit Selection will eliminate the influence of money in the selection of judges; give more people the chance to serve as judges, including those without great financial resources or political connections; and make sure that qualifications and experience determine who becomes a judge. This will increase public confidence that our courts are fair and impartial and serve all Pennsylvanians, regardless of financial standing or political affiliation.
In future posts, Judges On Merit will describe the Merit Selection proposal and how it will benefit all Pennsylvanians.
We are happy to link to this new blog and will update you from time to time on the progress of this exciting new effort.

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