Joan Orie Melvin

Now that the Pennsylvania Superior Court has thrown out a requirement that a former Supreme Court justice write apology letters to every judge in Pennsylvania on her picture showing her in handcuffs, prosecutors says that Joan Orie Melvin should be resentenced and face incarceration for using the resources of her chambers on her judicial campaigns, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Melvin is appeaing her conviction to her former colleagues on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the conviction of former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin on charges of misusing the resources of her judicial chambers on her political campaigns, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Paula Reed Ward reports. The most unusual part of Orie Melvin's sentence was thrown out: an order requiring her to write apologies to every judge in Pennsylvania on her picture in handcuffs.

Instead, Orie Melvin just has to write apologies. The Superior Court rejected the idea that forcing Orie Melvin to write apology letters was a violation of her right against self-incrimination.

Joan Orie Melvin, the former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice appealing her criminal conviction for political corruption, should have her conviction and her sentence upheld, prosecutors argued in a court filing, the Associated Press reported. As part of her sentence, Melvin was ordered to write an apology to every judge in the state on a picture of her in handcuffs.

Joan Orie Melvin, a former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice convicted of using the resources of her judicial chambers on her political campaigns, is arguing that the charges against her should be dismissed or that she should get a new trial or sentence, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Orie Melvin's defense counsel said in their brief to the Pennsylvania Superior Court that the trial judge, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Lester G. Nauhaus, was biased, as demonstrated by expressing "'personal opinions and improperly commenting on the evidence in front of the jury,'" the Pittsburgh paper reports. 

Nauhaus crafted an unusual sentence for Orie Melvin, including ordering her to write apologies on a picture of herself in handcuffs to every judge in Pennsylvania.

Joan Orie Melvin, a former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice convicted of using the resources of her judicial chambers on her political campaigns, is arguing that the charges against her should be dismissed or that she should get a new trial or sentence, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Orie Melvin's defense counsel said in their brief to the Pennsylvania Superior Court that the trial judge, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Lester G. Nauhaus, was biased, as demonstrated by expressing "'personal opinions and improperly commenting on the evidence in front of the jury,'" the Pittsburgh paper reports. 

Nauhaus crafted an unusual sentence for Orie Melvin, including ordering her to write apologies on a picture of herself in handcuffs to every judge in Pennsylvania.

Joan Orie Melvin, the former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice convicted of political corruption, had her entire sentence suspended today, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Judge Lester G. Nauhaus ordered the change because the Pennsylvania Superior Court suspended part of his unusual sentence ordering Orie Melvin to write apologies on a picture of herself in handcuffs to every judge in Pennsylvania.  The Post-Gazette reported the judge said in court, "'“She’s not serving my sentence! And the problem I have with that is she’s banking credit for time served and I will not allow it!”' Orie Melvin's defense counsel argued the trial judge does not have jurisdiction to change her sentence, which is under appeal.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the trial judge who sentenced Joan Orie Melvin, a former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice convicted of political corruption, has now threatened to suspend all of her sentence. Orie Melvin is appealing the part of her sentence ordering her to write letters of apology to every judge in the state on a photograph of herself in handcuffs. That part of the sentence was halted while the appeal is pending. Allegheny Court of Common Pleas Judge Lester Nauhaus will have the case back in court tomorrow.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has stayed part of the sentence of a former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice convicted of political corruption, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Joan Orie Melvin, who is appealing her conviction, won't have to write letters of apology until her appeal is disposed of. The court reasoned that, if Orie Melvin's succeeds in getting a new trial, "'it is possible that her apology letters could be used as evidence against her,"' according to the Post-Gazette.

 

The trial judge who sentenced former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin to send apologies written on her photo to every other judge in Pennsylvania won't rule if she violated her probation for not sending those mea culpas just yet. The Associated Press reported the trial judge will wait until the intermediate appellate court rules. Orie Melvin's lawyers argued sending the apologies before her appeal is through would violate her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. She was convicted of misusing the resources of her chamber on her judicial campaigns.

When Orie Melvin was sentenced for politicial corruption, the judge fashioned an unusual sentence:

* three years of house arrest;

* orders to send a picture of herself with an apology written on it to every member of the Pennsylvania judiciary;

* orders to send letters of apology to every member of the staff of her sister, a former state senator also convicted of using taxpayer resources on political campaigns;

* orders to send apologies to every member of her staff ordered to conduct political work even though it is not allowed under the law for government employees to do so;

* orders to send an apology to every member of her family;

* orders to serve in a soup kitchen three times a week, pay a $55,000 fine, and to not use the honorific of justice for the three years she will be on house arrest and for the two years she will be on probation.

When former Pennsylvania Justice Joan Orie Melvin was sentenced for politicial corruption, the judge fashioned an unusual sentence:

* three years of house arrest;

* orders to send a picture of herself with an apology written on it to every member of the Pennsylvania judiciary;

* orders to send letters of apology to every member of the staff of her sister, a former state senator also convicted of using taxpayer resources on political campaigns;

* orders to send apologies to every member of her staff ordered to conduct political work even though it is not allowed under the law for government employees to do so;

* orders to send an apology to every member of her family;

* orders to serve in a soup kitchen three times a week, pay a $55,000 fine, and to not use the honorific of justice for the three years she will be on house arrest and for the two years she will be on probation.

The former justice is appealing her sentence, but Allegheny County prosecutors are arguing she could face prison time for violating her probation sentence by not yet sending the letters of apology to the Pennsylvania judiciary, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.