Judicial candidate vows to restore faith in system

Superior Court Judge Judith Olson, who is a candidate for state Supreme Court judge, told the Armstrong County Republican Committee on Thursday that it's time to restore Pennsylvanians' faith in the state's judiciary.

Olson, 57, of Allegheny County, is running to fill one of three vacancies on the state Supreme Court. She is backed by the Republican State Committee.

“Our court has been rocked by scandal,” said Olson, during the meeting at the Armstrong County Courthouse Annex. “We need to instill confidence that judges have integrity with reputations of being fair and critical — otherwise, how do we then expect people to respect our decisions?”

Olson and at least 17 other candidates are vying to fill the court vacancies, which opened up after recent retirements and in the wake of high-profile scandals.

Former Justice Joan Orie Melvin resigned in May 2013 after she was convicted on corruption charges for using her judicial staff to work on campaigns. Justice Correale Stevens, 68, was appointed by ex-Gov. Tom Corbett in June 2013 to temporarily fill Melvin's seat until January. Stevens is seeking election for a full term.

The two other vacancies exist because of the mandatory retirement in December of Chief Justice Ronald Castille, 70, and of the October retirement of Justice Seamus McCaffery.

McCaffery left after an ethics probe revealed he sent sexually explicit emails and videos to an agent in the Attorney General's Office.

On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf nominated Duquesne University School of Law Dean Ken Gormley, 59, and Centre County Court President Judge Thomas Kistler, 57, to temporarily fill two of the court vacancies.

The Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate must approve Gormley and Kistler before voters head to the polls.

The Supreme Court meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Justices are elected to 10-year terms and are paid just over $200,000, except for the chief justice, who is paid $206,000.

The role of Supreme Court justices, Olson said, is to interpret the law under the Constitution and decide policies and constitutional issues, not legislate from the bench.

Olson has practiced law for more than 25 years and was an Allegheny County judge before being elected to the state Superior Court in 2009. She earned degrees from Saint Francis University and Duquesne University School of Law.

“I've made more than 1,000 decisions impacting people in family, civil, criminal, statutory and constitutional law,” she said.

Although she wouldn't weigh in on issues relating to the oil and gas industry, she did say after the meeting that she has had experience with gas drilling and lease cases.

“Gas drilling and lease cases are clearly on the rise,” she said. “I've had a number of these appeals and have a lot of experience in that area. This will continue to be an important issue.”

She spoke of the role of the state's entire judicial system, from district courts to the Supreme Court, and said that it's crucial for Pennsylvania voters to understand the judicial process and to be informed about the candidates.

“This year we have three out of seven seats open,” she said. “The face of the Supreme Court will change in a critical way.”

Pennsylvania is one of 30 states that elect judges rather than using a merit selection process.

The Republican State Committee has also endorsed Adams County President Judge Michael George and Commonwealth Court Judge Anne Covey.

Brigid Beatty is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-543-1303 or bbeatty@tribweb.com.