Today, after a long delay, we are announcing our endorsements for the Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court. (The State Courts will follow.)

Off the top, you should know that first and foremost, we only considered candidates who were found to be recommended by the bar association. In other words, there are many candidates who could be capable. We picked the ones we strongly think will stand out.

First, for the Court of Common Pleas:

Ellen Green Ceisler

Here is why we need Ellen Green-Ceisler most of all: The Philadelphia court that seems to be the most fundamentally, and systematically broken is the Family Court. Speak with anyone there, and they can tell you that there are real, structural problems that need changing. Green-Ceisler, who has said she wants to go to Family Court, has shown a couple things in her career that make it seem like she is the perfect person for the job:.

First, she has shown real courage in her career. A civilian overseeing a police department is really not an easy job, nor one that is generally considered a politically savvy thing to do. Second, with that job, with her history as investigator for Channel 10, as an auditor for the School District, etc., I think she has the perfect tools and skill sets to figure out what is going wrong in Family Court, and how we can fix it.

She has a bad ballot position, so, we will have to go find her. It is worth it.

Angeles Roca

Angela Roca is a sole practitioner who has focused her practice on family law, domestic relation issues, landlord tenant issues, civil litigation and small claims. She is pretty darn impressive. She put herself through college at night, while raising her children, and working full time. After Villanova Law, she became a community based lawyer, who understands the need for reforms in the legal system, including mandatory sentencing. Roca is also interested in examining the educational attainment level of defendants and in sentencing would like to be able to use education as a sentence, to go after recidivism.

Neighborhood Networks says it well in their endorsement:

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Roca was still attending Villanova Law School when she established an externship program with the Police Barrio Relations Project, an organization dedicated to protecting and educating citizens about their civil rights. After graduation, she continued as a volunteer. She has spent her entire legal career providing basic legal services to her community as a sole practitioner specializing in family law and, despite her “lowly” practice, had the distinction of being recognized by Philadelphia Magazine in 2005 and 2006 as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer Rising Star.

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Second, for Municipal Court:

Joyce Eubanks

You don’t spend 22 years at the Philly Defender's Office because you want to make it a ton of money. You do it, sacrificing all kinds of salary along the way, because you believe that everyone deserves a chance to have their story told. That, in a nutshell, is why we desperately need Joyce Eubanks in Municipal Court.

She certainly has the progressive credentials: Besides teaching at Temple for ten years, she is a longstanding member of one progressive organization after another- from the ACLU, to NOW, to the NAACP, to Philly’s own Neighborhood Networks, just to name a couple. When we earlier wrote our post on judges, I said we needed more judges in Municipal Court (where most poor people represent themselves) who understand that people who are not aware of their rights can not assert their rights. Joyce is that kind of person.

And, from those who have seen her up close (who, cough, cough, may want to chime in), Joyce is just a flat out good lawyer.

Diane Thompson

Thompson is a lawyer whose practice focuses on custody, divorce, support, and protection from abuse issues. She has been court appointed to represent clients in Municipal Court who can not afford to pay for representation since 1999. It’s clear that Thompson has a firm grasp on the issues presented to Municipal Court—which is essentially the People’s Court—especially as they relate to poverty. She is a Philadelphian, through and through, who cares about the people of the City, and wants to figure out how to make the Court more responsive to their needs.

Beyond that, Thompson has talked about some of the reforms that she would like to see to Municipal Court including working harder to eliminate court bias, better pre-screening of cases to clear up some of the volume that overwhelms Municipal Court, and the creation of a “waiting pool” of ready to hear cases that could always be available to judges with open times lots in order to expedite justice.

So, there are our choices. There are additional talented people running, and there are great things about Linda Carpenter, Mike Erdos, Greg Coleman and others. We simply think we have a great opportunity here to elect some special candidates, and whole-heartedly endorse them.