Allegheny County Bar Association Announces Judiciary Ratings

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – April 22, 2005. The Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA) today announced that its Judiciary Committee has released its most recent ratings of candidates who are running for positions on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. This completes the ratings process for the 27 candidates running for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. The complete list of ratings can be found on the association’s website at www.acba.org.

According to James W. Carroll, Jr., President of the Allegheny County Bar Association, “The bar association has the obligation to the citizens of Allegheny County to provide as much information as possible to help voters make informed choices when they select candidates for judicial office.”

The Committee has given the following ratings:

Name	Court	Rating
Kelly Bigley	Common Pleas Court	Not Recommended at This Time
David DeFazio	Common Pleas Court	Recommended
Robert Downey, Jr.	Common Pleas Court	Unqualified
Thomas E. Flaherty	Common Pleas Court	Not Recommended at This Time
Hon. Patricia McCullough	Common Pleas Court	Recommended
Sumner Parker	Common Pleas Court	Recommended
Douglas Walgren	Common Pleas Court	Not Recommended at This Time
Wrenna Watson	Common Pleas Court	Recommended

Each candidate is evaluated in the areas of temperament, experience in the field of law, academic achievement, honesty and integrity, reputation, general community interest and contributions to the profession.

The 24-member Judiciary Committee is elected at large by the 6,500-member Bar Association.

Click here for Definitions of Judicial Ratings

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