The county argues that the provision does not require a hand recount but merely requires that the vote should be recounted by people designated by the court. He also compiled the rule book for the World Flying . 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Find a Lawyer; Ask a Lawyer ; Research the Law; Law Schools; . He was elected to the bench on November 3, 2015. color: white; Kauffman argued that the inspection of voting machines is not supported under the provision. Pennsylvania's judicial elections included a primary on May 19, 2015, and a general election on November 3, 2015. 14 0 obj <>stream Francis J. Catania is a partner in the Media, PA, law firm of Catania & Parker, LLP, and has been practicing law for over 30. Ballotpedia does not currently cover this office or maintain this page. font-size: .9em; (610) 678-5393 Fax. } Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. People look to the judicial system for fair and equitable justice. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. 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. He added that voter signatures are confidential and disclosing those signatures to the public would present significant election integrity concerns. 4. [2], Lillis has been an attorney in private practice for over three decades.[2]. 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. Both the Republican and Democratic committees were united in a petition to the county to extend the voting by one hour. (610) 678-4571 Website: springtwpberks.org RE-ORGANIZATION MEETING MINUTES . McCormick is specifically challenging the 215 provisional ballots cast during the extended hour. .widget-row { Attorney Eric Winter, who argued on behalf of the Berks County Republican Committee, disagreed with Kauffmans assessment, saying the language in the law that allows for recount petitions doesnt include that language. Kauffman said compliance with Act 77 procedures for mail ballots cannot be reviewed under the recount procedure. Also read: The judge dismisses the Nov. 8 recount requests after most of the requesters failed to show up. The alert entitled Agencies Ordered to Pay Legal Fees can be found here, The Office of Open Records hosts a webpage where it has collected Court decisions on Enforcing a Final Determinations, Francis J. Catania is a partner in the Media, PA, law firm of Catania & Parker, LLP, and has been practicing law for over 30 years. font-size: 1.2em; McCormick challenged a ruling from Berks County Judge James Lillis, who ordered the polls stay open until 9 p.m. because of a snafu with electronic poll books. In August 2018, Berks County Common Pleas Judge James M. Lillis to a requester and in October 2018, Commonwealth Court Judge Simpson to a requester. OOR: Records Relating To The Investigation And Tracking Of Personal Protective Equipment Not Confidential Under The DPCL. The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary. .widget-row.value-only.black { The Berks County Board of Elections submitted a response to petitions that were filed last Monday in county court. border:1px solid #FFB81F; This is a development website: This website is the development website for the County of Berks. Lieutenant Lance Lillis has been with the department since 1998 and is a Kutztown University graduate himself. width: 57%; She was elected on November 3, 2015. [3], Geishauser currently works for her own firm, Dimitriou Geishauser, P.C.[3]. The names of voters who cast their ballots on the machines on Election Day, through the mail and by provisional ballot. } McCormick has also filed petitions in the Commonwealth Court and with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to have undated and unsigned mail-in ballots counted, in opposition to current law. Adult Probation is no longer completing ARD DUI Walk-ins at this time. Q|$\J?# ") +s%LJIV Km>( |-:fE!{`'` +:'foh OOR: Information About Officers Time-Off Request Protected From Disclosure Under The RTKL By The Constitutional Right of Privacy. 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. Berks County Court of Common Pleas: Scott E. Lash Berks County Court of Common Pleas: Stephen B. Lieberman Berks County Court of Common Pleas: James M. Lillis Berks County Court of Common Pleas: Linda K.M. O Jill Gehman Koestel. font-weight: bold; To examine the outer envelopes of all mail ballots cast by Berks voters to compare the signatures with the voter signatures on record in the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors System. OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA NO. 0000000839 00000 n The petitions were filed last week by the committee on behalf of 94 individual voters. .widget-row.Green { The live site is https://www.co.berks.pa.us 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.. text-align: center; .courts-header { font-size:150%;background-color:#334aab;color:white;} This is a development website: This website is the development website for the County of Berks. An order from Judge James Lillis was released to the parties involved on Tuesday. Both sides had a chance Thursday to make their cases. County election officials are fighting the petitions, saying they are without merit and should be dismissed. color: white; }, Eleni Dimitriou Geishauser is a judge for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. The petitions were filed last month by the committee on behalf of 94 individual voters. Appellant timely appealed to the Superior Court, which affirmed Judge Lillis's 2018 decision. Tom Wolf's office and Berks County President Judge Thomas G. Parisi. border:1px solid #FFB81F; 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. JFIF C } In the motion filed Wednesday, the county states that the petitions should be denied for a variety of reasons. A manual recount of all paper ballots generated by the voting machines, as well as all mailed, absentee and provisional ballots. .widget-row.value-only.black { Stephanie Weaver, county public relations officer, issued the following statement: The County of Berks appreciates the attention Commonwealth Court Judge Stacy Wallace gave to this case. Adult Probation & Parole Home; Contact APO; . It should not be necessary for the petitioners to have to provide evidence, he said.

} Talarico had a previous burglary conviction that made him ineligible to possess a firearm. from the University of Pittsburgh Law School in 1982. Geishauser earned her B.A. Our employment practices are not influenced or affected by race, color . County election officials fought the petitions, saying they were without merit and should be dismissed. Theresa Johnson. } }, James M. Lillis is a judge for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. He was elected on November 3, 2015.[1]. } Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas .widget-row.Democratic { In a statement, Berks County officials said they were "pleased" with Judge Lillis' ruling, adding they believe it "correctly reflects the law as outlined in the Election Code and . Berks was forced to delay certifying the results of the election pending the outcome of the petitions. And, he said, if fraud or error is found on those recounts it would trigger a full recount at all precincts. James M. Lillis is a judge for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. Magisterial District Judge 39-3-03: Fannett Township, Hamilton Township, Letterkenny Township, Lurgan Township. In a similar case in Forest County, Kauffman said, a judge threw out petitions for that exact reason. } I do believe there is both a factual and the legal basis for this order, Kauffman said. The. 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. The purpose of this blog is to provide information about the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law and related statutes and decisions. The Hon. The decomposing body of the 41-year-old woman was found July 13 following Talaricos arrest near Bloomsburg, a nearly two-hour drive from Reading, on unrelated crimes while driving her vehicle. We are glad to see that the honorable court upheld the rule of law and did not abide by conspiracy theories, he said. margin-bottom: 0; United States. <]/Prev 491381>> J. Benjamin Nevius is a judge for the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. The door was locked and no one answered. Berks County expects a firm judge, but they also expect a fair judge. .widget-row.value-only { 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. Winter said election law allows for recounts at individual precincts. font-weight: bold; Disciplinary Record. The committee made four requests in the petitions: 1. Now, that court has backed up Lillis original decision. } Winter said that allowing the verification of signatures on mail ballots would ensure there were no forged ballots cast. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. )0mpuJ Apply today! 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