Chester County Democratic Committee

[Readers will recall that in January 2012, the PA Supreme Court rejected as unconstitutional a Republican plan to redistrict the state House and Senate districts. Harrisburg subsequently came in with a second plan, to which, along with others' challenges, West Chester attorney Sam Stretton again filed an appeal on behalf of Chester County Democrats, two [...]

by Michael P. Rellahan, Daily Local News, 3/18/13 Local political parties, and not the voters themselves, will choose who is listed for jury commissioner on the November general election ballot, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. The position was delisted from the Municipal Primary in Chester County and several other counties when the commissioners [...]

by Michele Vaughn Congratulations to Sam Stretton on the winning the case before the PA Supreme Court. Judge Max Baer wrote the opinion for the court opposing the law allowing abolishing of the jury commissioner posts! Congratulations to Jury Commissioner Martha Smith who believed in the importance of the jury commissioner role to maintaining an [...]

By JOE MANDAK and PETER JACKSON, Huffington Post, 02/23/13 PITTSBURGH — The story has more irony than a Greek tragedy. Three sisters from a devoutly Catholic family have seen their personal and political careers ruined by a scandal that began with, of all things, a letter to some nuns. Thursday’s conviction of suspended Pennsylvania Supreme [...]

by Nathaniel Smith, Politics: A View from West Chester, 1/19/13 I particularly noted the 2009 claim that Judge Orie Melvin had “the highest integrity and character.” In today’s (1/19/13) Daily Local News, Joe Mandak’s AP story “DA wants to bar Melvin from raising trial” (not on DLN site; see it at PhillyBurbs.com) reminds us of [...]

October 17, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bret Binder (D) Urges Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Uphold Ruling on ACT 13 West Chester, PA –The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on an appeal of the Commonwealth Court decision that overturned ACT 13’s limitation of local zoning control state wide. Act 13 was passed [...]

by Brendan Fischer, Center for Media and Democracy, 9/18/12 The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has vacated a lower court ruling that had upheld the state’s voter ID law, setting the stage for the law to be blocked before the November elections. Because of evidence suggesting the state has not provided sufficient access to voter identification cards, [...]

By Angela Couloumbis, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/18/12 HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court has ordered that the state’s controversial new voter ID law be returned to a lower court for a speedy hearing on how the state is implementing it to ensure all voters have access to appropriate state-issued photo identification. The decision was 4-2, with Justices [...]

by MARC LEVY and MARYCLAIRE DALE, The Associated Press, Philly.com, 9/13/12 HILADELPHIA – With 54 days until Pennsylvanians help decide who will be president, state Supreme Court justices will listen to arguments over whether a new law requiring each voter to show valid photo identification poses an unnecessary threat to the right, and ability, to [...]

editorial, Pottstown Mercury, 9/13/12 A panel of Supreme Court judges will hear arguments Thursday on Pennsylvania’s tough new Voter ID law. The arguments are an appeal of an earlier judge’s ruling upholding the law as constitutional. Those appealing are hoping to see the law thrown out before the Nov. 6 presidential election. With the passage [...]