Judge rules no primary to pick jury commissioners
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state judge says county jury commissioner races won’t appear on the spring primary ballot, but instead candidates will be chosen for the fall election by the parties.
Judge James Gardner Colins ruled late Thursday against a jury commissioners’ group, which asked to have the races put on the May 21 ballot.
The legal issue arose after the state Supreme Court last month threw out a 2011 law under which 42 counties had eliminated their two jury commissioners.
Colins says it’s not possible to have the races be included in the primary “without creating a chaotic, expensive and unmanageable system.”
A lawyer for the jury commissioners’ association says he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court next week.