* Leading the slate of candidates was Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd, who is an Ellwood City native. She said that if she is retained, she will be the first female chief justice in Pennsylvania. “I would not have been elected without the strong support of labor,” she said. She said she has also made it a part of her work to protect the elderly, and she is the Supreme Court liaison to the 22 veterans courts in Pennsylvania. She said she has also been an advocate her entire career of protecting children against sexual abuse
* Also speaking was Dwayne Woodruff, an Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge who formerly played defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Woodruff, who presides mainly over juvenile court, is running for Supreme Court. […] He told those attending that in the upcoming election, “Your rights to vote are under attack; your civil rights are under attack,” and stated this election is “terribly important.”
New Castle News: Democrat Judges meet locals Saturday at downtown restaurant
By Mary Grzebieniak
Eight Democratic candidates for statewide court positions stumped in New Castle on Saturday.
“In 51 days, we have an incredible opportunity to retain and elect eight candidates to the court,” said Jordan Ball, who represented Sen. Bob Casey’s office at the morning meeting at The Confluence downtown.
The event was sponsored by Lawrence County Action, a group formed after the national Women’s March in January. About 75 attended.
Leading the slate of candidates was Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd, who is an Ellwood City native. She said that if she is retained, she will be the first female chief justice in Pennsylvania.
“I would not have been elected without the strong support of labor,” she said. She said she has also made it a part of her work to protect the elderly, and she is the Supreme Court liaison to the 22 veterans courts in Pennsylvania. She said she has also been an advocate her entire career of protecting children against sexual abuse.
Also speaking was Dwayne Woodruff, an Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge who formerly played defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Woodruff, who presides mainly over juvenile court, is running for Supreme Court.
“We have to hold kids accountable for what they did, and Mom and Dad also, but we’re not going to throw away the key,” he said.
“Republicans and Democrats, we all want the same thing,” he sad. “We all want good schools, fair jobs and equality. There’s just a difference in how we go about it.”
He told those attending that in the upcoming election, “Your rights to vote are under attack; your civil rights are under attack,” and stated this election is “terribly important.”
Other candidates attending included:
•Judge Maria McLaughlin, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge running for Superior Court, who said she has never had a case overturned and never forgets her decisions “are someone’s life, not just words on a paper.”
•Judge Carolyn Nichols, also a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge running for Superior Court, and daughter of a Tuskegee airman who became an attorney. She said that judges are “first responders” to society’s problems and said they need “to be about equal justice for all.”
•Judge Deborah Kunselman, the only woman ever elected to the bench in Beaver County, running for Superior Court, who said “I’d really like my work to have an impact statewide.”
•Judge Geoffrey Moulton, seeking retention to Superior Court, spent eight years as a federal prosecutor and worked on drafts of the Affordable Care Act and Dodd Frank legislation. He stated “They are not perfect but are incredibly important pieces of legislation.” He said a judge needs to “put themselves in the shoes of folks appearing before you.”
•Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Ellen Ceisler, running for Commonwealth Court, stated, “I handle every case based on the law and the facts.” She is a former Philadelphia assistant prosecutor who later worked as an investigator for CBS News in Philadelphia and investigator for Philadelphia’s controller’s office. She said she is proud to have received the endorsement of the FOP after investigating Philadelphia police.
•Former Pittsburgh Municipal Judge Irene Clark, running for Commonwealth Court stated, “It was a Democratic judge that spared us from voter suppression and stated “right now there is only one Democrat on the bench.
Karen Rentz and Loretta Spielvogel served as moderators.
Read the article here.