PHILADELPHIA – Two former Luzerne County, Pa., judges who are facing federal racketeering charges have been granted partial immunity in a civil suit brought by a class of juveniles who claim their rights were violated in the wake of the Luzerne County judicial scandal.
Writing that judicial immunity does not operate on a “sliding scale,” U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo has ruled, in Wallace v. Powell , 09-cv-286, that Judges Michael T. Conahan and Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. are protected by immunity from facing legal action for their courtroom acts.
