President judge to reveal plan to eliminate at least 3 district justices
Fayette County’s 13 district justices will find out this morning which among them will lose his or her post. Court Administrator Karen Kuhn said Thursday that President Judge Conrad B. Capuzzi will have the proposal completed and ready for distribution at 8 a.m.
The proposal, which could slash three or more magistrates, will be given to the area district justices at that time as well.
Last week, the state Supreme Court asked Capuzzi to eliminate at least three positions to bring the caseloads of Fayette’s district justices to the average caseloads of other counties – a figure around 3,800 cases per year.
The request for a change came with results from the 2000 census. District justice boundaries are examined in tandem with census results. Between 1990 and 2000, Fayette gained just over 3,000 people.
Former President Judge William J. Franks drew up the Supreme Court-ordered proposal last summer asking that no magistrates be cut.
The court, however, rejected that proposal and asked Capuzzi, appointed president judge in January, to decide which magistrates get cut by March 3.
Art Heinz, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) said that once Capuzzi submits his proposal, it is up to the Supreme Court to approve the matter. He noted that there was no definite time frame during which the court had to decide and the justices could send the proposal back for revision if they want to.
There was also no indication of how the cuts could affect the political futures of district justices Randy Abraham, Dwight Shaner and Ron Haggerty, who are all running for re-election in the spring primary.