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Philadelphia Bar Association Issues Recommendations for Judicial Candidates Seeking Retention in the November 3 General Election
In preparation for the November 3 general election, the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention has issued its recommendations for judicial candidates seeking retention on Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court. The following candidates have been rated recommended for retention to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas:
Sandy L. V. Byrd, Ida K. Chen, Pamela Pryor Dembe, Richard J. Gordon, Glynnis Hill, Benjamin Lerner, Annette Rizzo, Karen Shreeves-Johns and Sheila Woods-Skipper
The following candidates have been rated recommended for retention to Municipal Court:
Frank T. Brady, Barbara Gilbert, Lydia Kirkland, Gerard Kosinski, Marsha H. Neifield and Craig M. Washington
The Commission bases its recommendations in part on a poll made available to all practicing Philadelphia attorneys. More than 900 attorneys completed the poll. In addition to the poll results, the Commission evaluates each candidate based on criteria including integrity, legal ability, judicial temperament and efficiency. The Commission consists of lawyers and non-lawyers including the President Judges of Common Pleas Court and Municipal Court, the Chief Public Defender, the City Solicitor, the Chancellor, Chancellor-Elect and Vice Chancellor of the Bar Association and representatives of diverse interests within the community.
The retention recommendations follow recommendations released by the Commission prior to May’s primary election for open seats on Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court. Of the 17 candidates nomintated in May’s primary election, 16 were recommended by the Commission.
“The results of the primary elections indicate the value of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s recommendations,” Chancellor Sayde Ladov says. “We have been performing this public service for 33 years. Through our current retention recommendations, we continue to assist citizens as we strive for a fair and independent judiciary.”
The following candidates nominated in May’s primary are recommended for election to the Court of Common Pleas in the general election:
Daniel Anders, Adam Beloff, Robert P. Coleman, Angeles Roca, Diane Thompson and Donna M. Woelpper
The following candidate nominated in May’s primary is not recommended for election to the Court of Common Pleas in the general election:
Roxanne Covington
The following candidates nominated in May’s primary are recommended for election to Municipal Court in the general election:
Patrick F. Dugan, Charles Hayden, Dawn A. Segal, Joseph C. Waters, Jr.