Rendell names two as judicial hopefuls

HARRISBURG – Gov. Ed Rendell has nominated two longtime Luzerne County attorneys with decades of legal experience to fill vacant positions on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.

Lewis Wood Wetzel, 67, of Dallas and Joseph Van Jura, 63, of Kingston, were nominated to fill the posts vacated by former judges Michael Toole and Peter Paul Olszewski Jr., Rendell announced Tuesday.

Wetzel, a partner in the law firm of Wetzel, Caverly, Shea, Phillips and Rodgers in Wilkes-Barre, has been practicing law for 42 years and has extensive experience in various areas, including civil, criminal and real estate matters.

Van Jura, a sole practitioner with a law office in Forty Fort, has 37 years of experience, primarily focused on civil litigation.

The nominations come 11 days after Rendell’s previous judicial nominee, Joseph Cosgrove, assumed his seat on the bench.

“The governor is batting a thousand,” attorney Robert Schaub, president of the Luzerne County Bar Association, said of Rendell’s selections. “In a time of great turmoil, he has just made three outstanding choices.”

Wetzel, a Republican, and Van Jura, a Democrat, will now go before the state Senate for a confirmation hearing. They must be approved by a two-thirds vote. If confirmed they would serve until the end of December 2011.

Van Jura and Wetzel each said they were humbled and honored to be nominated. They vowed they would work hard to restore faith in the county judiciary that’s been rocked by scandal.

“I want the people of Luzerne County to trust the system and walk out of a courtroom, whether they won or lost, and say ‘I was treated fairly,’ ” Van Jura said. “I thought I could be a constructive part in making that happen.”

Van Jura is a 1968 graduate of King’s College. He received his law degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1970 and was admitted to the bar in 1972. He said his practice has focused primarily on defense work for insurance carriers in civil litigation matters. He previously served as an assistant district attorney for 4 � years in the 1970s.

“I’d like to think I’ll bring to the bench professional courtesy to both litigants and all counsel and a knowledgeable, reasoned decision-making process,” Van Jura said.

He said he was elated, and a bit surprised, when Rendell’s office called him Monday to tell him he was selected.

“I sent a letter in and got an acknowledgement letter. That’s the last I heard about anything.”

Wetzel is a 1965 graduate of Lafayette College and received his law degree from Dickinson School of Law in 1968. He was admitted to the bar the same year.

Wetzel said he sent a letter of interest to Rendell two weeks ago after being approached by several people who encouraged him to seek the appointment.

“It’s two years. I thought I could be helpful and it would be a great honor to serve,” Wetzel said.

Wetzel said he’s “done a little bit of everything” in his legal career. He served as a public defender, as a county solicitor, labor examiner and as a clerk for several judges. His practice in recent years has focused on business and real estate law.

“I’m willing to work hard. Those guys have a heavy workload and need a lot of help. I’m going to do my very best,” Wetzel said.

The county judiciary has been struggling to handle caseloads because of the departure, voluntary and involuntary, of six county judges within the past two years.

If confirmed, Van Jura will fill the seat vacated by Toole, who resigned after pleading guilty in December to federal charges of honest services fraud and tax evasion. Wetzel will fill the seat of Olszewski, who lost his bid for retention in the November general election.

Still open is the seat of former Judge Ann Lokuta, who was removed from office in December 2008 by the state Court of Judicial Discipline.

Lokuta is continuing to appeal that ruling with the state Supreme Court. Gary Tuma, spokesman for Rendell, said her seat will not be filled until that appeal is resolved.

“That’s my understanding in talking with legal counsel. Until that seat is permanently vacated, we cannot fill it,” Tuma said.

Luzerne County President Judge Thomas Burke said the nominations came as “welcome news. Both men are highly respected members of the bar and enjoy a solid reputation,” he said.

Burke wanted to publicly thank Rendell “for giving the Luzerne County courts much needed priority in processing these nominations. Having two additional seats filled will contribute greatly to the court being able to alleviate its backlog.”

Schaub said he’s hopeful the Senate will act quickly to confirm Wetzel and Van Jura.

“I’m hoping for bipartisan support. We need help here. The state Senate understands that,” Schaub said.