Legal News

Progressive Bloc Asks Phila. Bar to Give Reasons for Ratings

By Brian Harris

By Amaris Elliott-Engel
Of the Legal Staff

While the city's progressive ward leaders say they'd like to have published reasons for the city bar association's ratings of judicial candidates, the Philadelphia Bar Association's leader said keeping the reasons for the ratings confidential protects the "not recommended" candidates.

Four ward leaders said in a letter to the editor published in The Philadelphia Inquirer this week that the Philadelphia Bar Association's ratings arm should publish reasons for its ratings of judicial candidates as "recommended" and "not recommended."

In the letter, Stephanie Singer, leader of the Center City 8th Ward, John O?Connell, leader of the Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy 9th Ward, Carol Jenkins, leader of the University City 27th Ward, and Marcia V. Wilkoff, leader of the Center City 30th Ward, said they were concerned that of the African-American women candidates running for the Court of Common Pleas only one, Philadelphia Common Pleas Joyce Eubanks, was found recommended. Two of those candidates, Sharon Williams-Losier and Beverly Muldrow, were previously found "recommended" by the bar but were not "found recommended" in this year's ratings.

Singer said in an interview that having transparency in the reasons for the bar's ratings would show whether or not there is hidden prejudice  based on a candidate's  gender  or  race.

"If the process is transparent then we could have some kind of assurance that prejudice is not prejudicing the process," Singer said.

Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Sayde Ladov, who sits on the commission, said that many candidates who are found "not recommended" are actually good attorneys but won't necessarily make good judges. Ladov said releasing reasons for their ratings might affect a candidate's ability "to practice law, earn a living and effectively represent their clients."

Ladov also said the commission's membership is racially diverse and that more white men than black women were rated "not recommended " this year.

Singer said there was a strong history of only endorsing candidates who are recommended by the bar association's Commission on Judicial Retention and Selection in her ward, and it's an important source for determining if judicial candidates are prepared to be judges.

The letter also tweaked the Inquirer editorial board for critiquing the Democratic City Committee for endorsing two candidates rated "not recommended" by the bar: Williams-Losier and Roxanne Covington. The letter noted the candidates' ratings came out after the slate  had been picked  by the city committee.

Progressive ward leaders want to see more transparency in the party process, but Singer said this slate, and the grassroots participation in forming the slate, is a big step in right direction.

The Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Commission makes public the reasoning for its decisions on candidates seeking seats on statewide appellate courts.

Full post as published by The Legal Intelligencer Blog on May 15, 2009 (boomark / email).