"Moving Forward: Merit Selection as a Fresh Start for the Pennsylvania Judiciary"

Join Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts Executive Director Lynn Marks for a discussion of how judges are selected in Pennsylvania and the movement to change the current system of electing statewide judges in partisan elections. In light of escalating special interest dollars going toward judicial elections and recent judicial scandals, including Kids-for-Cash, Philadelphia Traffic Court and the conviction of Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin, the need for judicial selection reform is clear. Hear about recent national trends and discuss the benefits and obstacles to implementing merit selection reform. Lynn A. Marks is the Executive Director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, a statewide nonpartisan organization advocating for reforms in Pennsylvania's courts, particularly in the areas of judicial selection, judicial discipline, jury service, and increasing racial, gender and ethnic fairness. Ms. Marks co-chairs The Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness and sits on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's House of Delegates. A University of Pennsylvania Law graduate, Ms. Marks is the author of a legal treatise on the rights of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She has chaired the Boards of the Women's Law Project, Living Beyond Breast Cancer and the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women. Ms. Marks was named one of 25 "Women of the Year" by American Lawyer Media and has received numerous awards.