Litigation

Judicial ?Appearances Matter,? PA Editorial Warns

By Peter Hardin

Following up on an investigative article, a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial states that “appearances matter” when it comes to judges taking gifts from people who appear before them in court.

Reacting to the article about Chief Justice Ronald Castille, the editorial calls on the state Supreme Court to toughen rules that let most judges accept gifts including travel and entertainment, providing the gifts are disclosed:

“Judges should pay their own way when they’re entertained or travel on their own time.

“It’s that simple.

“No matter what the outcome of legal cases, accepting gifts from lawyers and businessmen who appear before the courts creates a real impression that rulings from the bench are for sale to the highest bidder.”

You can read about the earlier article in Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on November 24, 2010 (boomark / email).