From the story: The chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said the League of Women Voters "slanders" the court and its former chief justice in a federal lawsuit, and he warned the group and its attorney could face repercussions.
The lawsuit claims that one or more of the state Supreme Court justices used the League of Women Voters' 2005 legal challenge of the state slots law as leverage for the legislative and judicial pay raise of 2005.
In a statement Tuesday, Chief Justice Ronald Castille wrote that the suit "slanders the entire Supreme Court of Pennsylvania with baseless and irresponsible charges."
"The filing parties may have subjected themselves to sanctions, and the attorney may have subjected himself to disciplinary action," he wrote.
A law professor with expertise on state and federal courts said Castille's comments against the League and [the League of Women Voters attorney] Rossi are out of bounds.
"It's totally inappropriate for the chief justice to threaten a lawyer for allegations made in federal court against the courts or any judge," said Bruce Ledewitz of the Duquesne Law School. Read more…
Supreme Court Justice Nigro was voted out on a retention vote in 2005, Justice Newman barely survived the retention vote that same year, saved only by massive $$$ dumped into the retention election by the PAGOP. Chief Justice Cappy resigned before facing the electorate in 2009. Current Chief Justice Castille, who does not face a retention vote until 2013, is the author of the 2006 decision allowing judges to keep the pay raise that lawmakers had repealed in 2005.
In 2007, Chief Justice Castille also threatened Law Professor Ledewitz because of the criticism Ledewitz wrote about the 2006 Pay Raise decision. Justice Castille wrote that Ledewitz made "irresponsible charges" that could subject him to disciplinary action by the court. Hmmm, sounds familiar!
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