Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald Castille, in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer about the recent charges filed against State Senator Jane Orie and her sister Janine Orie, who works in the judicial office of Justice Joan Orie Melvin, expressed concern about how the developing story might impact the Court: “‘It’s not good, I can tell you that.'”
The Chief Justice noted that the allegations are related to political campaigns, including Justice Orie Melvin’s recent successful campaign for the Supreme Court, not the Court itself. However, he also acknowledged that:
[T]he public may not see the fine line between the court and the allegations – especially because the charges come on the heels of the “kids-for-cash” scandal in Luzerne County, where two former judges are accused of sending juvenile defendants to detention centers in return for $2.6 million in kickbacks.
This “fine line” is something we’ve always found problematic — it’s hard to separate the justices and their work on the Court from the political process that got them to the bench. That’s one reason that the public perceives that campaign contributions may influence judicial decision-making. And it’s a big reason to treat judges differently from other elected officials — not only once they are in office, but also while they are trying to reach office. That is, judges are different and should be selected differently.
The Chief Justice noted that Justice Orie Melvin should recuse herself from any case involving the Allegheny County prosecutor’s office because presiding over cases involving those prosecuting one’s family members could create a perception of impropriety. Jack Orie lawyer (and brother) to Senator Orie and Janine Orie (and brother of Justice Orie Melvin) stated that Justice Orie Melvin would recuse from such cases.
It remains to be seen how the ongoing investigation and prosecution will impact the Court. As we reported yesterday, the Pittsburgh Times-Tribune reported that a second grand jury is being impaneled to continue the investigation, and Jack Orie expressed the belief that it would be targeting Justice Orie Melvin.
