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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=12087
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House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: March 12, 2013 09:08 AM
From: Representative Brandon P. Neuman
To: All House members
Subject: Resolution - Impeaching Joan Orie Melvin
 
I invite your co-sponsorship of a resolution impeaching Joan Orie Melvin, Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, for misbehavior in office and conviction of an infamous crime.

On February 21, 2013 Joan Orie Melvin was convicted of among other things, 3 counts of diversion of services and one count of conspiracy – diversion of services, all felonies of the third degree, all infamous crimes and all based on actions taken while holding public office. The Pennsylvania State Constitution forbids individuals convicted of infamous crimes from serving as a Justice on the state Supreme Court. In order to maintain the public’s faith in its judicial system, it is vital that we move resolutely and expeditiously in removing the ineligible Justice from our highest court.

The Constitution grants the House of Representatives the sole power of impeachment. While in the past the House exercised this power through the creation of a process that includes petitions, preliminary committee investigations, full committee investigations and multiple committee reports and House Resolutions, in the case at hand that process would be duplicative and a waste of taxpayer resources and time because our task is not to reinvestigate the conduct that led to Joan Orie Melvin’s conviction, but it is simply to remove a sitting Justice who already has been convicted of an infamous crime.

Joan Orie Melvin has been convicted of an infamous crime. The Constitution forbids individuals from sitting on the Supreme Court if they have been convicted of an infamous crime. As such, my resolution would impeach Joan Orie Melvin, Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, immediately so that a trial can be held in the Senate without delay.

The people of this Commonwealth deserve a Supreme Court that they can trust and that is at its full complement. Please join me in sponsoring this important legislation.



Introduced as HR173