.clearfix { } word-wrap: break-word; The committee made four requests in the petitions: 1. .widget-row { Providing highlights and insights about the PA Right to Know Law and decisions of the Office of Open Records as well as court opinions, In August 2018, Berks County Common Pleas Judge James M. Lillis ordered the City of Reading to pay $12,071.75 in legal feesto a requester and in October 2018, Commonwealth Court Judge Simpsonordered Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to pay $118,458.37 in legal feesto a requester. Jason Ulrich, an attorney for the Berks County Democratic Committee who is joining the county to oppose the petitions in court, said Tuesday that the organization was also very pleased with the ruling. The committee wants the county to make all voting equipment, including the voting machines, available for inspection and testing. background-color: green; She covers county government as well as policy issues at the state and federal level with a local focus. } Also read: The judge dismisses the Nov. 8 recount requests after most of the requesters failed to show up. First Assistant County Solicitor Cody Kauffman wrote in the motion that the generic pleading and recitation of the statutory language is insufficient to open ballot boxes under the provision cited in the petitions. Judge Lillis CCP Berks Cty v. Cabrera, A. Log In Sign Up. .widget-row.heading { Before arriving at the Reading Eagle, Karen covered policy issues in Harrisburg and Washington for LNP. width: 250px; ALERT! [2], Lillis has been an attorney in private practice for over three decades.[2]. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Winter conceded there is no way to match the individual voter with their ballot, but argued the list will serve as a check on the system to ensure the voting systems captured the correct number of votes. Primary: She received 19.8 percent of the vote in the Democraticprimary on May 21, 2013. This is troubling and I believe potentially dangerous.. You are here: Berks County > County Departments > Court of Common Pleas > Adult Probation Office > Court Documents. She covers county government as well as policy issues at the state and federal level with a local focus. display: inline-block; This was done. Kauffman said this request falls outside the scope of what is permissible under the provision and is an improper attempt to gain access to information without going through the proper requirements and procedures in the election code and Right-to-Know law. Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts, Courts in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania judicial elections Judicial selection in Pennsylvania. Ballotpedia does not currently cover this office or maintain this page. display: inline-block; Lillis did not issue a ruling Thursday and gave both parties until 4 p.m. Friday to submit any supporting documentation for their cases. [2], Lillis spent five years in the U.S. Air Force before attending law school. Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. County election officials are fighting the petitions, saying they are without merit and should be dismissed. It says the petitioners failed to plead and verify specific acts of fraud or error, while not asking for a recount of all votes cast for the office in question across the county. Talarico shot his. .infobox p { The petitions were filed under a little-known provision of state election law that allows a precincts results to be recounted if three voters from the precinct file a petition in county court saying they believe fraud or error occurred there and those voters pay a combined $50. He represents Pennsylvania municipalities, municipal authorities and schools in responding to Right to Know Law requests and assists private clients who use the Right to Know Law to request documents from state and local government agencies. A manual recount of all paper ballots generated by the voting machines, as well as all mailed, absentee and provisional ballots. Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox. This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. When confronted by police, Talarico removed his clothes and fled into the woods. Mike Urban joined the Reading Eagle as a metro reporter in 2002, and since then has covered a wide range of beats and topics across Berks County, including working as an investigative reporter. Prior to his election, Lillis worked as a shareholder at Kozloff, Diener, Payne & Fegley, where he specialized in municipal, land use, and education law matters. 2. background-color: #f9f9f9; .widget-row { Any facts that were going to be presented to Judge Lillis needed to be presented by way of a verified petition. The District shall make all voting equipment, including voting machines, available for inspection and testing by a duly authorized agent. Following the November election, the committee and a group of 94 voters filed petitions to have votes in 30 Berks precincts recounted. ICC's: Judge Boyd will hear the ICC cases in January 2023, then Judge Lillis will begin hearing the ICC cases in February 2023. To be successful in asking a court to order a recount because of fraud or error, state law requires that petitions be filed in all of the precincts involved, unless they present evidence of a specific act of fraud or error that occurred. 0000000584 00000 n The issue resulted in 29 precincts being forced to hold up voting until county workers could deliver paper poll books to the precincts. background-color: white; Both sides had a chance Thursday to make their cases. <]/Prev 491381>> '@%. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Please, 100 largest cities in America by population, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=James_M._Lillis&oldid=7290454, Pages using DynamicPageList parser function, Pennsylvania common pleas court judges, Berks County, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections, Board member, Center for Excellence in Local Government at Albright College, Board member, Bellco Federal Credit Union, Counsel, 193rd Special Operations Wing Association. Pat Barrett. The Order was filed in the Prothonotary's Office of Berks County on June 23, 2016. border:1px solid #FFB81F; The.
width: 250px; Kauffman asked the commissioners to also vote on how they would like to respond to the two lawsuits filed in this matter. Talarico had a previous burglary conviction that made him ineligible to possess a firearm. She was elected on November 3, 2015. %PDF-1.4 % Karen Shuey joined the Reading Eagle staff in 2015. background-color: green; Under certain circumstances, the judge may overrule the jury's determination or damage award. The county appreciates the time and attention Judge Lillis has devoted to this matter, it said. } He said if no specific charges were filed, motions would have to be made in all 202 counties for a recount to take place. An effort to force recounts in 30 Berks County precincts had its day in court Thursday. Both sides had a chance last week to make their cases in county court. BERKS COUNTY, PA 2850 WINDMILL RD. Tips to help protect your smartphone from thieves, What the Tech? A Berks County judge has dismissed petitions filed by the Berks County Republican Committee seeking a recount of ballots cast during the general election at 30 precincts across the. .widget-row.Green { We believe something is going on here with the machines, he said. Ms. Smith attended Apply today! A Berks County judge has dismissed petitions filed by the Berks County Republican Committee seeking a recount of ballots cast during the general election at 30 precincts across the county. 8 0 obj <> endobj J. Benjamin Nevius is a judge for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. Judge Lillis denied our petitions December 5. She also ran for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in 2013.. Education. Mostly cloudy with a few showers and some areas of fog late.. Mostly cloudy with a few showers and some areas of fog late. First Assistant County Solicitor Cody Kauffman argued that the petitions should be denied because they do not present evidence of a specific act of fraud or error that occurred. [1] Lash was first elected to the court in 1999 and retained in 2009. width: 100%; Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. }, Eleni Dimitriou Geishauser is a judge for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. On November 26, 2018, the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records issued one of its periodic email topic alerts reporting on and linking to these two Court decisions. padding-left: 10px; .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. Copyright 2023, All Rights Reserved | She is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in journalism. width: 57%; The committee did not send a representative to this testing or otherwise attempt to participate in the testing, the results of which confirmed the machines were functioning correctly. There were no facts at all presented to Judge Lillis; witnesses were not called; evidence was not presented and testimony was not taken.. )0mpuJ Talarico took investigators to that spot, and they recovered the firearm. She is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in journalism. The following candidates ran in the Republican primary. Pileggi with questions, though we cannot guarantee a reply to all requests. } } Berks County 23: President Judge Honorable M. Theresa Johnson Court of Common Pleas of Berks County Berks County Courthouse 633 Court Street . } Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion.float:right; Pennsylvania Right to Know Law 65 Pennsylvania Statute 67.101 et seq. OOR: Information About Officers Time-Off Request Protected From Disclosure Under The RTKL By The Constitutional Right of Privacy. font-size: .9em; They were voting provisionally because thats what was required under a federal statute that says if voting is extended, the votes shall be segregated and be done provisionally.. 0000000436 00000 n
However, he does not know whether his client is interested in an appeal. You have permission to edit this article. As Petitioners did not satisfy either requirement, the Court affirms Common Pleas order, Wallace wrote in her 26-page ruling. Mercer reminded the board that under state law, the county may not count the provisional ballots for two days after the elections board ruling to give the campaign adequate time to file an appeal, should it wish to do so. 612 0 0 792 0 0 cm width: 150px; Prior to his election, Nevius was a commercial litigation partner at Fox Rothschild. .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .courts-container { background-color:#fcfcfc; width:100%; border:1px solid black;padding:5px;text-align:center;clear:both; } Our employment practices are not influenced or affected by race, color . Todd Talarico, 47, of the 2500 block of Kutztown Road was sentenced by Judge James M. Lillis after pleading guilty to third-degree murder and illegally possessing a firearm. padding-left: 10px; More and more of what is ultimately deciding elections is not the vote or necessarily the law, but rather the results of litigation. This becomes clear when we see their campaign challenging a duly entered court order to not count votes, and then in the same meeting, call for the counting of votes of undated or unsigned ballots. A state Commonwealth Court judge has dismissed an appeal by the Berks County Republican Committee seeking a manual recount of votes cast in a handful of precincts during the 2022 general. She also cross-filed as a Republican, but lost that primary with 9.8 percent of the vote. Additionally, the county asserts that the most accurate way to conduct a recount is by using machines designed to accurately count votes. The Judge asked for both parties to submit additional documentation by 4 PM on Dec 2. To me is mind boggling and completely unacceptable.. An order from Judge James Lillis was handed down Tuesday to the parties involved. In the Court of Common Pleas of Berks County Civil Division at No(s): 192-2015-MH BEFORE: BOWES, J., KING, J., and STEVENS, P.J . (610) 678-5393 Fax. We have hundreds of people who are going to be denied the ability to vote because they erred. He had been in Berks County Prison awaiting trial. 100% remote. Todd Talarico, 47, of the 2500 block of Kutztown Road was sentenced by Judge James M. Lillis after pleading guilty to third-degree murder and illegally possessing a firearm. The county would likely feel very different about this issue.. Karen Shuey joined the Reading Eagle staff in 2015. width: 250px; .widget-row.value-only { text-align: center; An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. .widget-row.Republican { float:right; The Committee made four motions in the petitions: 1. Winter said that allowing the verification of signatures on mail ballots would ensure there were no forged ballots cast. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. .widget-row.Libertarian { and services. Madelyn S. Fudeman and Theresa Johnson were also on the ballot, competing for two open seats. Over the last number of years, we find ourselves in a very difficult place in elections. }, James M. Lillis is a judge for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. Court of Commons Pleas; . Tom Wolf's office and Berks County President Judge Thomas G. Parisi. Kauffman argued that the inspection of voting machines is not supported under the provision.
He dumped the bloody bed comforter behind a local business and discarded the firearm in a storm drain at Bern and Rose streets in Reading. display: inline-block; 2. He added that voter signatures are confidential and disclosing those signatures to the public would present significant election integrity concerns. [1] Elections 2015 See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2015 Pennsylvania's judicial elections included a primary on May 19, 2015, and a general election on November 3, 2015. He joined the bench in 2006. Jnp`! Magisterial District Judge 39-3-03: Fannett Township, Hamilton Township, Letterkenny Township, Lurgan Township. border:1px solid #FFB81F; } margin-bottom:0px; &'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ? width: 100%; The Hon. Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court The commissioners voted 2-1 to stand in opposition I arguments to count undated and unsigned ballots. The petitions were filed last month by the committee on behalf of 94 individual voters. There is not a requirement of evidentiary background.. padding-left: 10px; The committee wants the county to give its attorney the names of voters who cast their ballots on the machines on Election Day, through the mail and by provisional ballot. She is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in journalism. I just think that is a miscarriage of voter intent.. The Pennsylvania election provides that the polls shall be open for only thirteen hours, 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on election day, Mercer said. } The county now plans to confirm the results at a meeting of the election board on Thursday. Chief among them is that no fraud or error was committed in the computation of the votes cast or in the marking of the ballots. text-align: center; color: white; font-size: .9em; Before arriving at the Reading Eagle, Karen covered policy issues in Harrisburg and Washington for LNP. Dec. 6 A Berks County judge has dismissed petitions by the Berks County Republican Committee seeking a recount of ballots cast during general elections in 30 counties in the county. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the recount effort in Berks was part of a statewide attempt by supporters of failed gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano to flood Pennsylvania courts with petitions seeking to force hand recounts. And, in a county that uses an electronic voting system, the recount can be done using electronic devices of a different type than used for the specific election. Have votes in 30 Berks county Court of Common Pleas order, wrote. Pileggi with questions, though we can not guarantee a reply to all requests. 39-3-03 Fannett. Office and Berks county Court, though we can not guarantee a reply to all requests., said!, Wallace wrote in her 26-page ruling wrote in her 26-page ruling Districts, in... 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