As the Primary Election nears, PCCJR is encouraging voters to review our 2023 PA Judicial Voter Guide before heading to the polls. This is a critical election year, the results of which will have a long-term impact on the direction of the statewide courts throughout the Commonwealth. As noted in this FiveThirtyEight article, over the past decade the cost of judicial elections…
Coalition Updates: Business
When Inconvenience Becomes a Class Action Lawsuit
A trio of litigants from Philadelphia have filed a class action lawsuit that is reaching when it comes to defining personal harm or damages experienced. The case centers around an equipment failure at the Altuglas chemical plant in Bristol, Pennsylvania that resulted in a chemical spill into Otter Creek – a tributary of the Delaware…
PCCJR Judicial Voter Guide Now Available
This will focus on the state’s judicial branch, with several statewide court vacancies on the ballot. The results of this year’s election will have long lasting impacts on the Commonwealth’s legal environment and economic climate. When a court misinterprets a law, and especially when it disregards the plain language of a statute in favor of a preconceived…
Appellate Judicial Candidates Appearing on May Primary Ballot Finalized
The 2023 election cycle will focus on judicial seats, with a number of candidates on the ballot to fill positions in municipal and statewide appellate courts throughout the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania’s judicial system includes three statewide appellate levels – Commonwealth Court, Superior Court and Supreme Court. Judicial elections are extremely important as court decisions can have long lasting…
‘Reviver’ Legislation Again Moves Forward in the House
Prior to breaking for budget hearings, the state House of Representatives again moved forward with another piece of ‘reviver’ legislation which would open a two-year window to allow victims of childhood sexual assault to file claims that are barred by the statute of limitations. House Bill 2, which passed by a vote of 134 to 67,…
Venue Shopping Attorneys Taking Advantage of Med Mal Venue Rule Change
As we have previously reported, PCCJR has been closely monitoring the impact of the state Supreme Court’s decision last year to rescind the venue rule in medical malpractice cases. Our analysis has found that in January of 2023 there were 67 medical malpractice cases filed in Philadelphia. Comparatively, there were 24 cases filed in January of 2022 when the…