Lifting ‘general haze’ at the courthouse
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When corporations or other large businesses are put up for sale, a news release often gently imparts the operation is “exploring strategic alternatives,” rather than stating straightforwardly and honestly that the enterprise is, indeed, seeking buyers.
The announcement last week that Washington County President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca was being relieved of her administrative duties seemed to have been scissored out of the same opaque cloth. Rather than offering specificity on why this is happening, a news release from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts suggested the shift would yield “new perspective, renewed collegiality and greater collaboration.”
That sounds fine, but Washington County residents deserve a little more explanation than that.
Though the news release also served up weasel words about “challenges” that the county’s bench has faced recently, such as “judicial vacancies,” and “time-consuming, complex litigation,” no details were provided on how these precisely figured into the decision. And this is more than just palace intrigue for lawyers and courthouse watchers – it directly impacts how justice is administered in a growing county with an overflowing judicial docket.
It’s also costing taxpayers some change – Senior Judge Joseph M. James, a former president judge in Allegheny County, will be taking over the administrative chores O’Dell Seneca previously handled at a rate of $536 per day.
O’Dell Seneca herself was quoted in the release praising James as “a colleague and a friend” possessed of “significant experience” with whom she looked forward to working alongside. She further expressed her enthusiasm by clearing her court calendar for the week and making herself unavailable for further comment.
O’Dell Seneca has been involved in a handful of controversies in recent months, including allegations that she had listening devices placed in courtrooms. She is also a defendant in a whistleblower lawsuit regarding the county’s juvenile probation office. Washington attorney James Jeffries told this newspaper last week of “a general haze” of low morale that is lingering over the courthouse that he hoped would be lifted as a result of the AOPC’s action.
We hope so, too. Along with an efficiently operated, competently managed courthouse, Washington County residents should be leveled with about what is happening there.