Costly justice race shows court无毛视频檚 power
Voters submitting ballots by mail or filling them out Tuesday may not pay much attention to state court races 无毛视频� but powerful donors and political players are watching.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, dominated 5-2 by judges who ran as Democrats, serves an important role in sharply divided Harrisburg. To Democrats, it无毛视频檚 a last line of defense against an opposition that solidly controls the General Assembly and seeks the governor无毛视频檚 office. To Republicans, it无毛视频檚 a thorn in the side that prevents sweeping legislative changes.
Tuesday无毛视频檚 election won无毛视频檛 change the court much, with a single Republican judge retiring and both parties vying to take his seat. But it has drawn millions of dollars in campaign cash, a hard-fought campaign and controversial ads.
Democrat Maria McLaughlin faces Republican Kevin Brobson for the open seat. Several candidates are competing in the lower Superior Court and Commonwealth Court, both of which make major rulings that sometimes end up in the hands of the Supreme Court.
Both candidates for the top job have raised millions of dollars, with McLaughlin drawing support from Philadelphia-area attorneys and state labor unions and Brobson aided by the GOP and its operatives无毛视频� political action committees.
For many Pennsylvania voters, the state Supreme Court无毛视频檚 importance came into full view in 2018, when the high court ruled the existing congressional map unconstitutional. In a decision that shocked and outraged conservatives, the court issued a new map that split Pennsylvania无毛视频檚 congressional delegation to more closely reflect voters无毛视频� party divisions.
Since that time, Republican lawmakers have moved repeatedly to shake up the high court.
Within weeks of the map ruling, then-representative Cris Dush, now a Republican senator, moved to impeach four of the court无毛视频檚 five Democrats. The effort drew criticism and didn无毛视频檛 succeed, but fellow Republicans have since proposed reforms that could help weaken the court无毛视频檚 Democratic tilt.
Earlier this year, state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, proposed a constitutional amendment that would set judicial districts for the state无毛视频檚 highest courts, with judges running regionally rather than for statewide office. Such a change could guarantee conservatives at least a handful of spots.
Diamond无毛视频檚 amendment was tabled in March after passing in a 13-12 committee vote. It hasn无毛视频檛 been raised since.
While moves to outright remove justices or retool their election process have come up against skepticism even from fellow Republicans, both parties have gone all-out to seize the lone open seat Tuesday.
It may be part of a Pennsylvania tradition: The 2015 state Supreme Court race cost more than $16 million, a nationwide judicial record at the time.
Lawmaker seeks coal heat plan
A British project to turn abandoned coal mines into community heat sources could be investigated in Pennsylvania if a state lawmaker gets his way.
The village of Seaham in northern England is set to be a showcase at an upcoming United Nations climate conference. Engineers are working to turn the town无毛视频檚 coal mines, long abandoned and filled with water, into sources of home heat.
The geothermal technology would draw water from the mines, heat it and then pump it directly to homes and businesses.
In a proposal to colleagues this month, Rep. Joe Webster, D-Montgomery, backed a state study on the plan无毛视频檚 feasibility in Pennsylvania. Retrofitting the state无毛视频檚 vast network of abandoned mines would provide environmentally friendly heating while employing engineers and construction workers in the process, he said.
无毛视频淧ennsylvania may be able to adopt a similar approach and develop a new and valuable energy resource,无毛视频� Webster wrote.
Cruz clashes with 无毛视频榶inzers无毛视频�
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, struck at the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday 无毛视频� and drew mockery online for botching a famous Western Pennsylvania expression.
Cruz criticized the university on Twitter for purportedly encouraging gender-neutral language, including 无毛视频渃olleagues, guests, all, yinz, friends, people, students, folks无毛视频� in place of 无毛视频渓adies and gentlemen.无毛视频�
Cruz said of those encouraging the new language: 无毛视频淔olks, these yinz are cray-cray (crazy).无毛视频�
The misuse of 无毛视频測inz无毛视频� 无毛视频� the well-known Pittsburgh slang akin to 无毛视频測无毛视频檃ll无毛视频� 无毛视频� quickly attracted insults from the region.
It无毛视频檚 not the first time Cruz has sparred with Pittsburghers.
In January, he tweeted that President Joe Biden无毛视频檚 decision to rejoin the Paris climate agreement showed 无毛视频渉e无毛视频檚 more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh.无毛视频�
The comment drew widespread criticism, including from Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 mayor.
Ryan Brown covers statewide politics for Ogden Newspapers. He can be reached at rbrown@altoonamirror.com.