Rendell Picks Colins to Serve on Supreme Court

January 28th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

Former Commonwealth Court Judge James Gardner Colins will be Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s appointee to serve an interim term on the state Supreme Court, a state Senate official said Monday afternoon.

Steve MacNett, general counsel for the Senate Republicans, said although Rendell has been warned Colins would face a difficult confirmation, the governor is expected to announce Colins’ nomination Tuesday. If confirmed, Colins would serve nearly two years in the seat former Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy vacated earlier this month.

Reached at his Harrisburg chambers, Colins confirmed Rendell would announce his appointment, and those of three other interim appointees to vacancies on the state appeals courts, at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

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good for the governor

On January 28th, 2008 Anonymous said:

I am glad to see that the Governor is willing to stare down the Senate Republicans. Judge Colins is an accomplished jurist, with a long and distinguished history of public service. Let’s see if the Senate has the audacity to challenge this man’s life of public service with petty partisan antics. Good going Governor, and best of luck to Judge Colins on the Supreme Court. The Courts of the Commonwealth will be well-served by his scholarly hard work and pragmatism.

Judge Colins

On January 30th, 2008 Anonymous said:

Judge Colins is good. But Prof. Gormley would have been better. Gormley will be an excellent Commonwealth Court judge, probably the smartest since former Judge Byer, but Gormley’s talent really should have been used on the Supreme Court, which badly is in need of at least one true legal intellect. Fitzgerald already is assigned to the Superior Court as a senior judge, so it is hard to understand why Rendell wasted a nomination on him; Fitzgerald could have continued on the Superior Court as a Senior Judge and Rendell could have chosen somebody else, giving the Superior Court an additional judge to help with a huge caseload. Daniels has been mediocre at best on the Superior Court; his renomination smells of pandering to the plaintiffs’ trial bar. We really do need a merit selection system, instead of this hodgepodge of political appointments coupled with partisan elections.

Daniels

On February 2nd, 2008 Anonymous said:

Why do you (Anon 1/30) say Daniels has been mediocre at best?