Reading Judicial Questionnaires

I've spent part of this evening reading the PA Bar Association's questionnaires for statewide judicial offices. Candidates provide biographical information, and select a few of their judicial opinions they feel are significant. You should review these before the election later this month. Here are a few tidbits from some Superior Court candidates, and their ranking from the association:

Robert J. Colville (Recommended):
His selected cases to highlight include a ruling in favor of mayoral power to make decisions for the city, against health insurance companies investigating a patient's unrelated personal habits, whether or not a juvenile with a low IQ can be tried as an adult, and others. He worked on a highway construction crew in college and law school. In addition to occasional continuing ed courses for lawyers, and law courses, he sometimes teaches an undergraduate class on The Rule of Law. His answers are crisp and detailed. I tried to find a few good quotes to pull out but much of what he says is really good. This is well worth the effort to read.

Anne Lazarus (Highly Recommended)
She was the first woman judge to be on the "Rocket Docket" in Philadelphia (no idea what this is but it sounds impressive). Judge Lazarus has published a number of articles, many concerned with elder law and mental capacity rulings. She ran for Superior Court in 2007 and lost in the primary by 1/2 of 1%. Her answers aren't lengthy but the bar association says of her, in part:

The Candidate is intelligent, thoughtful, candid and scholarly, and she demonstrates superior writing ability, knowledge of the law and exceptional judicial temperament. Her advocacy of pro bono service has encouraged lawyers to participate in these programs. The candidate has mentored law students and young lawyers and has served in many capacities in community organizations. The Commission concludes that the Candidate would bring exceptional skills, experience and personal qualities to the Superior Court and would serve the court and the commonwealth with distinction.

This is only two of the many candidates for this office. More info forthcoming, or, as I say, you can check for yourself.