GOP Headquarters Named For Ann Wilson

Dave Sutor
Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

Multiple candidates attended, including two individuals running in statewide judges races: Superior Court Judge Judy Olson and Paul Lalley.

Olson, a graduate of the former St. Francis College in Loretto, is seeking a seat on the commonwealth’s Supreme Court.

The high court has recently gone through tough times with Justice Seamus McCaffery resigning after being implicated in a pornographic email scandal and Justice Joan Orie Melvin stepping down following her conviction for using taxpayer-paid staff for political campaigning activity.

“It is so critical that our citizens have faith in the judiciary,” Olson said.

“With the scandals and the upsets lately, that faith has been eroded. I think it is so important to make sure that we put people on the court that are willing to be transparent, have rules in place to make sure not only is the judge deciding cases impartially, but there is even no question of their impartiality, that they always appear as people that are there to do justice for the citizens of the commonwealth.”

Lalley, an attorney, is running for a seat on the Commonwealth Court.

“I would say I’m a conservative in terms of my personal values,” Lalley said. “Also, I view the commonwealth court, particularly, as a court that should be focusing on the review of the record that comes before it because it mostly serves as an appellate court. It does have some original jurisdiction. But, mostly, it’s an appellate court.
“That is the first level of non-local review that a litigant is going to get in a case.”

Olson and Lalley have received endorsements from the state Republican Party, chaired by Cambria County resident Robert Gleason.

Read more: http://www.tribdem.com/news/latest_news/gop-headquarters-named-for-ann-wilson/article_fe2e8ebc-b659-11e4-812d-4f62e5206e93.html