Watchdog calls for independent investigation of Family Court project

    Committee of 70 says person investigating cannot have ties to the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

    A political watchdog group is calling on the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court to take himself out of a controversial project.

    The Committee of 70 says Chief Justice Ron Castille should not have selected a friend to investigate problems with the construction of a new Family Court building in Philadelphia. Zack Stalberg is head of the watchdog group and says Justice Castille should completely remove himself from the process after appointing a truly independent investigator

    “I think he should get him out of this deal. There is no reason a judge should be supervising the construction of a courthouse. The state has an elaborborate process to do that in a fair and intelligent way. It would be good for the public and good for him if he stepped out of this arrangement.”

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    Stalberg says the problem is the deal is, in his words, tainted. The co-developer of the project was also advising the state and the court in selecting the site for the new family court building.

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