Ciavarella Hangs Acquittal Arguments on Evidentiary Issues
The Legal Intelligencer
April 6, 2011
Arguing that evidence submitted by the federal government was both time-barred and insufficient, former Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. has petitioned a federal court judge to overturn his racketeering and honest services fraud convictions. Full Text
If Pa. Supreme Court Won't Reform JCB, Then Someone Else Should
The Legal Intelligencer
March 29, 2011
When the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its progress report on its response to reform proposals made by the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice in the wake of the Luzerne County Courthouse scandal, it was pretty thin when it came to judicial ethics and the judicial conduct system. Full Text
Ciavarella Begins Appeals Process With Brace of Motions
The Legal Intelligencer
March 7, 2011
Convicted last month of racketeering and honest services fraud, Former Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark A. Ciavarella has filed a series of motions to have the most serious charges against him tossed. Full Text
High Court 'in Process' of Changing Juvenile Justice System
The Legal Intelligencer
March 2, 2011
Nine months after a commission offered its recommendations on how to improve the state's juvenile justice system, Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille provided for the first time yesterday a road map for the court's implementation of some of those changes. Full Text
JCB's Proposed Rule Change Applauded for 'Transparency'
The Legal Intelligencer
February 22, 2011
The state's Judicial Conduct Board has proposed a rule change to strip its chief counsel of the ability to determine whether anonymous complaints warrant full investigations without consulting the board's members. Full Text
Ciavarella Found Guilty in Corruption Case
The Legal Intelligencer
February 22, 2011
While he was found guilty on the most egregious charges at the heart of his case, including racketeering, former Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. escaped a bribery conviction because a federal jury in Scranton "bent over backward" to follow its instructions to the letter, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon A. Zubrod. Full Text
Jury Deliberations in Ciavarella Trial Continue
The Legal Intelligencer
February 18, 2011
A federal jury in Scranton is scheduled to continue deliberations today in former Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.'s federal corruption trial. Full Text
After Closings, Jury in Ciavarella Trial Set to Deliberate
The Legal Intelligencer
February 17, 2011
A day after his client admitted to tax evasion, Albert Flora used his closing arguments Wednesday to try to steer the jury toward two main points: that developer Robert Mericle never conceived of the fee paid to former Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge Mark A. Ciavarella as a kickback and that Ciavarella never extorted PA Child Care owner Robert Powell. Full Text
Ciavarella Admits to Pocketing Campaign Cash Contributions
The Legal Intelligencer
February 16, 2011
Within 45 days of receiving his first finder's fee from PA Child Care builder Robert K. Mericle, former Luzerne County Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. was nearly out of money. Again. He had spent about $310,000 of the $330,000 payment on paying credit card bills and fulfilling lines of credit. Full Text
Like 'Lion ... Out of the Cage,' Judges Preyed on Powell, Jury Told
The Legal Intelligencer
February 11, 2011
When Michael T. Conahan or Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. wanted money from Robert Powell, the two Luzerne County Common Pleas Court judges started calling the attorney's friends and family, Powell told a federal jury in Scranton Thursday. Full Text
Reporter's Notebook: Powell a King-Sized Presence on Witness Stand
The Legal Intelligencer Blog
February 10, 2011
Robert J. Powell's nearly two hours on the witness stand at Mark Ciavarella’s federal racketeering trial Tuesday was highly eventful. And since The Legal's story could only covered a small portion of the proceedings, this blog post can fill out the picture. Full Text
