News

May 28, 2010

JLC calls judge's ruling "important victory"

Mark Guydish

Reacting to a U.S. judge's ruling granting immunity to two ex-county judges in civil suits, The Juvenile Law Center issued a press release declaring the decision "an important victory for the plaintiffs" because they can still pursue legal action for the two judges' "conduct outside the courtroom, including their acceptance of kickbacks"

While the ruling by U.S. DIstrict Judge Richard Caputo upholds the claim of judicial immunity for ex-judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan for any actions taken on the bench, the JLC touted the fact that Caputo said the immunity does not extend to actions off the bench, including Conahan's decisions that helped close a county detention center and shift juveniles to a private detention center at the heart of the scandal. Ciavarella nd Conaha are charged with accepting $2.6 million in exchange for actions that helped the private facility, PA Child Care, thrive.

That aspect of the ruling allows the lawsuits to move forward, at least on those grounds.

The JLC also noted Caputo's order does not shield Ciavarella and Conahan from criminial proceedings.

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