Editorial: PA Chief Justice Should Be Retained For One More Year of Service

The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board once called for the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to resign because a lawyer on the Philadelphia family court project was revealed to have a conflict of interest by becoming a co-developer. Now the editorial board has endorsed Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille for retention even though he can only serve one more year until forced to retire because of his age. The board wrote: "Granted, in the kids-for-cash case and others, the court's reforms have come slowly and on the heels of probes by the press, public-interest groups, and authorities. But combined with a tougher stance on judicial discipline, such substantive reforms constitute a powerful argument for RON CASTILLE's continued service, which is subject to a retention vote on Tuesday. The chief justice might not qualify as a reformer in every state, but in Pennsylvania, he does."