Justice Joan Orie Melvin has lost her bid to have the entire Allegheny County bench recuse itself from hearing the nine criminal charges brought against her.
Orie Melvin, who was charged in May by the Allegheny County district attorney for allegedly using her Superior Court judicial staff and the state Senate staff of her sister to help Orie Melvin run for Supreme Court, argued the bench was conflicted because one of the judges is married to a witness in the case and the administrative judge who denied her motion recently oversaw the criminal trial of her sister, former Senator Jane Orie.
