Philly bar kicks 21 candidates to judicial curb

THE PHILADELPHIA Bar Association yesterday released its final list of ratings of judicial candidates for the May 19 primary, and as in the past, the bar's picks don't line up with the Democratic Party's.

Five candidates who previously won the endorsement of the Democratic City Committee were rated "not recommended" by the bar.

They are: Common Pleas Court candidates Scott DiClaudio, Tracy Brandeis-Roman and Lyris Younge; and Municipal Court candidates Sharon Williams Losier and Christine Hope.

"We had a thorough, comprehensive, nonpolitical process that we went through to come up with those whom we recommended and those whom we did not recommend," bar chancellor Albert Dandridge said.

Although the bar does not say why it withholds it recommendation from candidates, those who are "recommended" satisfied a cumulative review of criteria in 10 categories, including legal ability, experience, integrity, temperament, community involvement and judgment, according to the bar.

The ratings are given by the bar's Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention, an independent, nonpartisan, 30-member body that includes lawyers and nonlawyers.

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, chairman of the city's Democratic Party, called the bar's recommendations "bogus."

He fumed that City Solicitor Shelley Smith was among the panelists sitting in judgment of candidates, including her husband, Matthew Perks, who was rated "recommended" for Municipal Court.

But bar chancellor Dandridge said Smith, vice chairwoman of the commission, did recuse herself concerning her husband's candidacy.

Lynn Marks, executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, a watchdog group, said voters need to be aware that the bar and a political party have different agendas.

"The bar ratings aren't always consistent with party endorsements. That's because the bar looks exclusively at qualifications and the party also considers electability, having a balanced ticket of gender, racial, ethnic, sexual-orientation background, and neighborhood," Marks said.

Among the candidates, Abbe Fletman, Chris Mallios and Kai Scott were "highly recommended" for Common Pleas Court.

In addition, 24 candidates were "recommended" for Common Pleas Court and three were "recommended" for Municipal Court.

The following candidates for Common Pleas Court were "not recommended" by the bar: DiClaudio, Roman, Weaver, Franklin Bennett, Tangie Boston, Starr Marshall Cash, William Ciancaglini, Frances Fattah, Vincent Furlong, Shanese Johnson, Edward William Louden Jr., Rania Major, Jon Marshall, Lynne Summers, Sherman Toppin and Lyris Younge.

The following candidates for Municipal Court were "not recommended" by the bar: Hope, Losier, Bennett, Christian DiCicco and Gary Silver.