Title: In Re: Prohibited Political Activity by Court-Appointed Employees (Dissenting Statement)
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 201 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION DOCKET NO. 1
State: Pennsylvania
Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Date: November 25, 1998

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA IN RE: PROHIBITED POLITICAL ACTIVITY BY COURT-APPOINTED EMPLOYEES : : : : : : : : : : No. 201 Judicial Administration Docket No. 1 DISSENTING STATEMENT MR. JUSTICE CASTILLE I respectfully dissent to this amendment to the Guidelines regarding political activity by Court-appointed employees. I believe that allowing court-appointed employees to participate in elective partisan political activity presents, at a minimum, the appearance of impropriety. By not requiring court-appointed employees to resign their respective positions in order to campaign on a partisan basis, this amendment gives rise to the inescapable conclusion that the judicial system itself is involved in partisan electoral politics, thereby raising an appearance of bias. I believe that the better practice is to require the resignation of any court-appointed employee who wishes to seek elective office, as the Guidelines presently require. Mr. Justice Nigro and Madame Justice Newman join in this dissenting statement.