Pennsylvania: High court denies Orie Melvin request

July 20, 2012

The state supreme court denied Justice Joan Orie Melvin’s request to intervene in her criminal case and have it heard by an out-of-county judge. Justice Melvin, who is charged with using court staff to assist in her 2003 and 2009 supreme court campaigns, argued that a key prosecution witness is married to an Allegheny County judge and that the case may be too complex for a local district judge.