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Efforts to Merge Quarter Sessions Move Ahead

By Brian Harris

By Amaris Elliott-Engel
Of the Legal Staff
 
The First Judicial District and the city of Philadelphia are working on the details of bringing the clerks who work in the city's criminal clerk's office into judicial employment and off the city payroll by July, Philadelphia Common Pleas President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe said.

The details include maintaining the pay scales and the benefits the clerks currently have, the judge said. The clerks are almost all in the civil service, while FJD employees are not civil service workers.

The FJD took over the Clerk of Quarter Sessions April 1 after the elected head of the office, Vivian Miller announced her retirement as of March 31 and judicial orders were made that the duties of the clerk for Philadelphia's criminal cases would be assumed by the FJD. Prothonotary Joseph Evers and his staff became the new managers of the office.

The clerk's position still exists on the books, but legislation may be introduced later this year to eliminate the role.

Before Miller's retirement, she weathered a year of criticism leveled at her performance in office, particularly allegations of  recordkeeping lapses and poor management of the bail system.

Full post as published by The Legal Intelligencer Blog on June 17, 2010 (boomark / email).