Published Tuesday, December 3, 2002
as answer
to backlog
Herald Staff Writer
The addition of a fourth judge in Mercer County has received a warm reception in the courthouse.
The state legislature approved a bill last week creating additional county common pleas court judges in nine districts, including Mercer County. Gov. Mark Schweiker is expected to sign the bill.
The legislation was co-sponsored in the Senate by state Sen. Robert D. "Bob" Robbins, Salem Township, R-50th District, who said it was more than a year in the making.
Robbins said Mercer County President Judge Frances J. Fornelli and county commissioners told him the county needed a fourth judge "based on the caseload" in the court of common pleas.
Robbins added the additional judge will help "to better meet the caseload and get the job done in a more expeditious manner. It will also help reduce the number of prisoners the county has to house out-of-county."
In the state House, the bill had the support of State Reps. Michael C. Gruitza, Hermitage, D-7th District, and Richard Stevenson, Grove City, R-8th District. Rep. Rod Wilt, Sugar Grove Township, R-17th District, couldn't be reached for comment.
Fornelli said the need for a fourth judge "is obvious" and an additional judge will help clear the backlog of cases.
"We've made it a point to keep current on jury cases," Fornelli said, "But on some non-jury hearings, we're as much as three months behind." While the additional judge may not speed up the judicial process right away, "It is really going to barely bring us current," he said.
The Mercer County Bar Association was very supportive of the move and is pleased with the legislature's action, said John C. Reed, president of the bar association
According to a report released by the association, Mercer County has more cases per judge than surrounding counties and other counties of comparable size. Mercer County judges handled 2,269 cases each in 2000 on average, and judges in other districts of comparable size in Pennsylvania handled 1,767 cases in 2000, according to the report.
Reed said the additional judge would help reduce the time it would take to schedule hearings and other court proceedings. Some hearings, he said, took as long as two months to schedule.
"There are only 24 hours in a day for the justices," he said. "Without adding the fourth judge, it just would have gotten worse."
County Commissioner Cloyd E. "Gene" Brenneman said he was pleased with the legislature's action.
"Each judge will now be able to take more time with each case, and it will speed up the process of hearing cases," Brenneman said.
Brenneman said the county is already taking steps to build a fourth courtroom for the new judge on the third floor of the courthouse, across from the courtroom of Judge Thomas R. Dobson.
Brenneman didn't say how much a new judge would cost the county. The state pays counties $70,000 for each judicial position to partially reimburse the county's cost for each judge.
Mercer County residents will be voting for two county judges in the November 2003 election -- one to fill the newly-created seat and one to fill the spot held by Judge Michael Wherry, who decided not to seek retention. The new judges will take the bench in January 2004.
Brenneman said he was looking forward to the upcoming election. "It will be interesting to see who steps forward," he said.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Amanda Smith-Teutsch at: ateutsch@sharonherald.com