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By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Though they’ve avoided case backlogs so far, Luzerne County judges have asked Gov. Ed Rendell to fill Mark Ciavarella’s vacant judge seat.

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Ciavarella, who pleaded guilty for accepting kickbacks, waited until March 16 to resign, so his seat won’t be on the ballot until 2011.

The county is short two judges because of Ciavarella’s resignation and Ann Lokuta’s removal from the bench.

The judges decided during Tuesday’s weekly meeting to ask the state to fill Ciavarella’s vacancy, and President Judge Chester Muroski sent a letter to Rendell.

Muroski told Rendell there are a “number of excellent candidates” in the legal community who would fill the seat without running for the post.

Rendell has made it a policy to nominate people who won’t turn around and run for seats, saying he doesn’t want to give anyone an unfair advantage.

Governor’s Office spokesman Chuck Ardo said Rendell has already started collecting the names and resumes of potential nominees for Ciavarella’s seat. Ardo stressed that he doesn’t expect a nomination in the “very near future.” The state Senate must confirm the nomination.

Muroski said he’s reassured that the nomination is on Rendell’s radar because the county court system has become too reliant on senior judges from other counties for backup.

In other business, the judges decided Tuesday to:

• Continue studying computer systems that randomly assign civil cases to judges, eliminating any question of certain judges being chosen.

• Meet with district justices to discuss the feasibility of continuing or altering Central Court, which is the place most non-homicide preliminary hearings are heard.

• Reduce judge meetings to every other Tuesday.