Pocono News Section

Juvenile Law Center Wants Ciavarella's Rulings Reviewed

Juvenile Law Center Wants Ciavarella's Rulings Reviewed - Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 10:55PM EST

PHILADELPHIA- Pennsylvania's Juvenile Law Center is trying to overturn a State Supreme Court application ruling. A few weeks ago, the court denied a request made by the law center to take charge of hundreds of judge Mark Ciavarella's rulings.

Ciavarella has been federally charged. Prosecutors say he compromised Luzerne County’s Juvenile Court system.

The Juvenile Law Center doesn't mince words when talking about Ciavarella. Legal director Marsha Levick says, "This is a judge who was elected to represent and protect the best interest of children and on the backs of children took money and sent them into detention unnecessarily."

The Juvenile Law Center says hundreds of juveniles' rights were violated by Ciavarella. In Spring 2008 it asked the State Supreme Court to take jurisdiction over certain Ciavarella cases.

The center says Ciavarella skipped necessary steps in juvenile hearings. The center hoped the court would help overturn rulings in those cases.

But on January 8th, the court declined that application. Now the Juvenile Law Center will ask the state supreme court to reconsider it's application.

Levick says in wake of federal charges against Ciavarella, there might be enough to change the court's ruling.

Kevin Williamson of Hanover Township's case is an example of one the Juvenile Law Center is appealing. The law center says Ciavarella skipped steps in his hearing last April. He was sent to a juvenile camp in Jim Thorpe for seven weeks.

Williamson is out now, but his mother says this about Ciavarella, "Maybe the shoe's on the other foot now and maybe now he'll know what it feels like, that he actually did something wrong."

If the State Supreme Court route doesn't work, the juvenile law center won't stop. Levick says the center will legally appeal somewhere else.