Top Pa. judge warns of more fallout from porn emails

Pennsylvania’s top judge is warning of additional fallout if it’s true that judges were among those who exchanged pornographic material by email with members of the attorney general’s office.

Chief Justice Ronald Castille said Monday that exchanging such material with government lawyers who appeared before them could represent a conflict of interest for a judge, in addition to being an ethics violation.

A conflict-of-interest finding could open up a new avenue of appeal in previously decided cases, Castille said.

State Attorney General Kathleen Kane reported that at least three dozen current and former employees sent or received pornographic material in office emails from 2008 to 2012. Citing anonymous sources, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the emails circulated among some top jurists.

If judges were involved, Castille has asked Kane for their names.