When Justice Joan Orie Melvin was suspended from the bench in the wake of criminal charges in May of last year, several attorneys and court watchers expressed concern that her absence would result in more 3-3 splits and possibly a less productive court.
Eight months later, as Orie Melvin fights for her professional life in an Allegheny County trial court, an examination of the court’s output during her suspension shows that while the justices’ productivity has not significantly decreased, a lack of participation by Orie Melvin has indeed led to a number of 3-3 stalemates.
