Some say the practice damages public perception of impartiality in the courts
By Bofta Yimam
WTAE-TV
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Election season is over, but at least one candidate is still campaigning in an effort to pay off her campaign debt.
It’s not illegal in Pennsylvania or unethical. In fact, many said it’s common for judge-elects to ask attorneys for contributions. But some said it hurts public perception about whether the courts are fair and impartial.
On Nov. 18, the campaign for Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge-Elect Jennifer Satler wrote letters to county attorneys asking them for money.
“Not only might they feel pressure to make a contribution because that judge-elect will be sitting on the bench, but also because the letter comes from somebody who is an elected official,” said Lynn Marks, executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts.
According to Satler’s campaign manager, the letter was distributed to 150 Allegheny County attorneys, and is signed off by county treasurer John Weinstein.
Weinstein asks for a financial contribution for Satler’s campaign, the letter said, in part, “Because running a countywide race takes a great deal of energy, time and resources, I would ask that you support Judge-Elect Satler with a financial contribution to help retire some of her debt. Please make a contribution to The Friends of Jennifer Satler for $1,000, $500, $250 or whatever you can afford. I greatly appreciate any help you can give to her.”
“I’m not blaming the treasurer or the judge-elect, but it does raise at least the question of the appearance of impropriety,” said Marks. “The real problem is that there can be this perception of favoritism after she’s elected if one side or the other has made a large contribution to the judge.”
Weinstein said he was an honorary campaign chairman and said the campaign committee asked him to sign the letter. He declined an interview.
Campaign manager Nick Bonesso said they distributed the letter to the largest firms and to those who had not donated before. Bonesso notes 150 county attorneys represents only a fraction of the 7,500 county attorneys.
“Part of the role of law professors in America is to keep tabs on the judiciary on the judges,” said Duquesne Law School professor Bruce Ledewitz.
He said lawyers will continue to receive fundraising letters, since Pennsylvania holds judicial elections. Pennsylvania is one of only six states that elects all levels of our judges in partisan elections.
“You would not want to be a party in a case in which your attorney gave nothing and the other parties attorney gave a lot, that rarely comes up but it is a problem,” said Ledewitz.
Some voters agree.
“If someone hands me a check for several thousand dollars, I’m going to look at them in a little bit of a different light, especially if they’re helping me out, retire campaign debt,” said Paul Dell, who works in the IT department of a Pittsburgh law firm.
“If it’s not the criteria of the state, then maybe we should switch over to the merit system and see how it works for us,” said voter Marci Wiggins.
Marks said the letter stresses the need to end campaigning after elections. Right now, her group is pushing a merit-selection process for appellate court judges to get them out of the campaign business altogether.
“The problem isn’t with the candidates themselves. The real problem is the system,” Marks said.
Under Pennsylvania law, judge-elects can campaign until the end of the calendar year.
Satler said she’s aware of who donates to her campaign, but that she didn’t know who received the letter. She referred Channel 4 Action News’ call to Bonesso.
He said the letter was unsuccessful, saying none of the 150 lawyers who received the letter made contributions.
Bonesso said Satler funded 97 percent of her campaign.
Prior to the letter, fundraising records show Satler received more than $3,000 from several attorneys.
