{UPDATED 5/18} It is looking like the men sharing the bench with Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge Ann Lokuta may be getting what they hoped for when they got together-- ahem, okay, allegedly got together-- to contrive the charges filed against Judge Lokuta by the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania late last year. (See the update after the jump -- some of the information appears to have been incorrect, casting some doubt on the report of a deal.)
Judge Lokuta recently fired her lawyer, Sam Stretton, supposedly after learning that he was advising the (recently-failed) judicial campaign of her former law clerk, Tom Marsilio. (Marsilio, for his part, was/is supposedly set to be a witness for the prosecution. It has been said that he easily criticized his former employer on the campaign trail when the question was raised. Asked at one gathering how he would work with her, he reportedly told the audience that "no one can work with her". One can be curious as to why and when Marsilio came to that conclusion -- he was an enthusiastic speaker at a high-ticket fundraiser for the judge in her recent retention election.)
Back to Judge Lokuta after the jump . . .
Judge Lokuta recently fired her lawyer, Sam Stretton, supposedly after learning that he was advising the (recently-failed) judicial campaign of her former law clerk, Tom Marsilio. (Marsilio, for his part, was/is supposedly set to be a witness for the prosecution. It has been said that he easily criticized his former employer on the campaign trail when the question was raised. Asked at one gathering how he would work with her, he reportedly told the audience that "no one can work with her". One can be curious as to why and when Marsilio came to that conclusion -- he was an enthusiastic speaker at a high-ticket fundraiser for the judge in her recent retention election.)
Back to Judge Lokuta after the jump . . .
The judge's trial on the charges is said to be set for later this month (something I am trying to confirm). {UPDATE 5/18: The information about the trial date appears to be wrong. The Court of Judicial Discipline has advised us that no trial date has been set.} Through the gapacious Luzerne County Ding Dome grapevine, we hear that a deal is about to be cut which would permit the Judge to retain her pension interests and open up another space on the bench for yet another white male ass.
We hear that the Judge will be bidding the Courthouse a not so fond adieu sometime this summer, perhaps as early as June 1.
In our other ear, a different friend-who-heard-something-from- someone-who-thinks-they-are-in-the-know, whispered the name of a (very capable) local attorney, with deep political roots in those parts, who is in line to get the nod from Fast Eddie to fill Lokuta's spot on the bench. We'll keep that one under our sombrero for now.
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