PACleanSweep Claims Victory
for Pennsylvanians ANNVILLE, PA - PACleanSweep declared a victory for
the citizens of Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth's Constitution after
learning the voters had ousted Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro in
Tuesday's election. No appellate court justice has ever been not retained
previously in Pennsylvania. The race was largely viewed as the first
volley in a battle for the future direction of government in the
Commonwealth.
In the other Supreme Court retention race on the
ballot, Justice Sandra Schultz Newman narrowly retained her seat with
apparently less than 54 percent of the vote. Judicial candidates for
retention in Pennsylvania traditionally enjoy being retained with at least
75 percent of the vote in their favor. Newman will be forced to retire in
2007 when she reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.
"Pennsylvania has been stalled at a constitutional
crossroads for four months," said PACleanSweep Chair Russ Diamond. "We're
pleased that the people have decided to boldly move forward by insisting
that those charged with serving as guardians of the supreme law of the
land take their duties and their oaths of office seriously."
In recent weeks, the PA Supreme Court has been at
the center of a controversy over an unconstitutional pay raise enacted by
the General Assembly on July 7. A cadre of anti-pay raise organizations,
including PACleanSweep, banded together to protest the Supreme Court's
role in the pay raise, pointing out a number of questionable rulings
handed down over the last few years.
In just the last week, the two chambers of the
General Assembly became deadlocked over a stunning last-minute repeal of
the raise, which applied to all three branches of state government. The
sticking point in the legislative standoff is the judicial portion of the
increase, which may have added fuel to the electorate's
angst.
"Voters have sent a loud and clear message to all
public officials: You will be held accountable by the voters who've
elected you," said PACleanSweep Media Relations Director Jerry
Kelley.
Diamond was quick to note that the election
results were only the first stirrings of the winds of change in
Pennsylvania.
"This is not the end of our fight, it's only the
beginning of a revolution in Pennsylvania. The last four months have seen
a reawakening of the Commonwealth's citizens to the need for government to
regularly consider the Constitution in their day-to-day activities rather
than viewing it as some archaic document hanging on a museum wall for
school children to admire on field trips.
"Our attention now turns to the Governor and the
Senate, who are charged with appointing and confirming a temporary
replacement to the bench until a contested election can be held in 2007.
We advise Mr. Rendell to tread carefully in this matter, as he is up for
re-election in 2006 along with the 228 incumbent lawmakers we've been
targeting since July 18th."
"These results should put the entire legislature
on notice," added Strategic Director Mike Bergmaier. "We intend to hold
every last one of them to the constitutional fire in the upcoming months.
The people have simply had enough, and it's time for lawmakers to focus on
public service, not self service. Otherwise, they'll likely find
themselves in the unemployment line next to Russell
Nigro." PACleanSweep is a non-partisan effort
dedicated to defeating incumbent elected officials in Pennsylvania and
replacing them with true public servants. For more information, please
visit www.PACleanSweep.com. |
