Tough choices: WI finance committee weighs funding for education against jail diversion

By   /  May 23, 2013  /  Featured, Judicial Reform, Judiciary, law enforcement, Legislature, Wisconsin  /  No Comments

With a call for much more, the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee approved $1.5 million for programs providing alternatives to jail.

By Ryan Ekvall | Wisconsin Reporter
MADISON – It’s the drug addicts or the kids.
That’s the message Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, had for Democrats who asked to fund treatment instead of prison programs and drug courts at more than $13 million a year instead of the $1.5 million Republicans had asked for in the budget.
“This [...]

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Pennsylvania chief justice’s record held up, torn down by reform group

By   /  May 20, 2013  /  Constitution, Judiciary, News, Other News, Pennsylvania, State Government, Uncategorized  /  No Comments

ron castille

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent

HARRISBURG — Judges in Pennsylvania typically have no problems securing their offices in retention races.

In 45 years, only Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro lost his seat in 2005, after an infamous pay raise lawmakers gave themselves in the middle of the night inflamed state voters.

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Pennsylvania courts find savings as state cuts funding

By   /  May 10, 2013  /  Judicial Reform, Judiciary, News, Pennsylvania, State Government  /  No Comments

COURTS IN PA: The Washington County court house, seen here, in one of the 60 judicial districts in Pennsylvania.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — In Pennsylvania, the judicial system isn’t much different than the other two branches of government when it comes to worrying about money.
A 2013 State of the Commonwealth Courts report released this week shows the court system is working to cut its costs as it prepares for a slight decrease [...]

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Labor nominee Perez blocks reckoning for Texas school board

By   /  May 1, 2013  /  Ethics, Federal Government, Judiciary, News, Texas  /  7 Comments

BeaumontTexas

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez is blocking a school board election in a scandal-plagued Southeast Texas district because it might endanger the four black members in the majority.

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WI high court election could have big impact on Walker policies

By   /  April 3, 2013  /  Elections, Featured, Judiciary, Wisconsin  /  1 Comment

courtstory

You win some, you lose some.

So it went for liberals and conservatives in Tuesday’s statewide elections.

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