The state Supreme Court has halted the election to fill former Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judge Ann H. Lokuta’s seat on the bench until after the Court of Judicial Discipline reviews Lokuta’s claims that her trial was compromised by corruption in the courthouse and a conspiracy to oust her.
The order is a victory for Lokuta, who has claimed she is entitled to a new trial and a stay to the election that would appoint her successor in light of the federal corruption probe in Luzerne County. The former judge has suggested that evidence unveiled by the federal corruption probe should be admitted into evidence during a new trial.
