Democrats accused of snubbing black woman judge in Supreme Court bid

Democrats accused of snubbing black woman judge in Supreme Court bid ^ | Wednesday, February 26, 2003 | James O'Toole, Post-Gazette Politics Editor

[pittsburgh gop guy]

Democrats accused of snubbing black woman judge in Supreme Court bid

Allen not invited to meeting with senior Democrats, including Rendell

Wednesday, February 26, 2003

By James O'Toole, Post-Gazette Politics Editor

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Cheryl Allen, a state Supreme Court candidate, is irate that she was not invited to a closed meeting Saturday where senior Democrats, including Gov. Ed Rendell, interviewed candidates for the high court.

		Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Cheryl Allen

"I'm very disappointed," Allen said last night. "I don't know why I wasn't invited. ... I would think that a truly Democratic process would demand an open process."

While some party officials defended the Philadelphia session as an informal, preliminary gathering, Barbara Ernsberger, an Allen partisan who chairs Pittsburgh's Democratic Party, echoed her concern.

"I think it is outrageous," said Ernsberger. "She is a credible candidate; she is a woman; she is a minority. She should be granted the same respect as anyone else to present her credentials."

Allen, 55, is seeking to become the first black woman to serve on the state Supreme Court.

The meeting was held Saturday in an effort to cobble together a consensus Democratic ticket for this year's election for the appellate courts. One seat is to be filled on the state's Supreme Court along with three spots on Superior Court.

A handful of potential Supreme Court candidates made presentations to senior Democrats including state Sen. Allen Kukovich, the state party chairman, at the meeting in conference room of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, Rendell's former law firm in Center City Philadelphia.

Judge Max Baer was the only Allegheny County candidate interviewed. From the local bench, in addition to Allen, Judge Jeffrey A. Manning has expressed interest in the high court race.

Kukovich said the meeting was a preliminary step in an effort to form a consensus ticket, but he said it was unclear whether that effort would be successful in time for the endorsement meeting of the Democratic State Committee in mid-March. Kukovich said the fact that Allen was not invited may have been due to reports that she planned to remain on the primary ballot whether or not she was endorsed by the state committee members.

Also at the Philadelphia meeting was David Sweet, a close associate of Rendell. He said the meeting was thrown together quickly and he wasn't sure why Allen had not been invited.

"Certainly no disrespect was intended toward her," Sweet said. "I think it was a mistake that she wasn't [invited]."

Kukovich and Sweet have both had extensive conversations with Allen since the Saturday session, attempting to mollify her concern about the apparent snub.

Among the other potential high court candidates who did appear at the Saturday session were Judges James DeLeon and John Herron of Philadelphia, and Matthew Mangino, the Lawrence County district attorney.

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James O'Toole can be reached at jotoole@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1562.

[pittsburgh gop guy]

If Republicans had done this, it would be front-page news and the NAACP would be up in arms and Sharpton and Jesse would be camping out here.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

"She is a credible candidate; she is a woman; she is a minority.

Al Sharpton, call your office.

[anniegetyourgun]

Lib/dem racism on display....again.

[Sloth]

"She is a credible candidate; she is a woman; she is a minority. She should be granted the same respect as anyone else to present her credentials."

I wonder if those are her credentials.

[chachacha]

she is a woman; she is a minority.

Let see! 20 points for being a women and 20 points for being a minority, I guess the rest don't have a chance.

< What *&$^%(# way to run a country.

[Michael.SF.]

Judge Max Baer was the only Allegheny County candidate interviewed.

Jethro is now a Judge in PA?

[concerned about politics]

"I'm very disappointed," Allen said last night. "I don't know why I wasn't invited. ... I would think that a truly Democratic process would demand an open process."

I'll be happy to tell her why.
Socialists in this country are rich white elitists. Their goal is to create a country full of dumbed down, uneducated people. They support the immigration of uneducated minorities, especially if they can't speak English. They support the breakdown of American families, to create dependancy on them.
This way, the population is easy to politically control. The useful idiots will do their bidding, not knowing any better.
White Democrats/Socialists are the biggest racists in the world. They project their sins on to others as a distraction.
Never listen to what a Leftist says. They lie. They have no moral values. Watch what they do. It tells the whole story.
She's another one of their political slaves. She just hasn't seen past the socialist propaganda yet. Let's hope she doesn't over look it!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Congrats on the sharp eye...

[twigs]

I do not particularly like Rendell and I did not vote for him. However, I don't believe that he is a rascist. He's a competent administrator and honest, at least to be a democrat.

[yoe]

"She is a credible candidate; she is a woman; she is a minority.

Hopefully those days of just being a woman and being a 'minority' are past. I would think Allen would have more respect and pride in herself and not allow this pandering to her gender or color.

[Mo1]

Is it me or has Randell been having a lot of trouble since being elected in Nov.?

BTW .. did he cut the taxes on his first day in office like he promised ??

[concerned about politics]

I do not particularly like Rendell and I did not vote for him. However, I don't believe that he is a rascist. He's a competent administrator and honest, at least to be a democrat.

I see the democrat party as a whole. Birds of a feather flock together. Therefore, they have a similar value system. Some are more extreme than others.
Right now, there seems to be a breaking away from the democrat party in the smaller circles of politics. Some are seeing the socialist take over, and don't agree with it. Those who stay either fear they'll be replaced if they leave, or agree with the current policies of the extreme left, i.e., Marxism.
The sheep are slowely being seperated from the goats due to the increase in technology and the speed in which information now travels. All things are being revealed right now.

[mhking]

As always, it "OK" to malign, marginalize, and otherwise "mistreat" blacks who are conservative; "they aren't politically correct, so it's OK."

Judge Allen looks (at least from what I can see) to be a qualified candidate. But she's not "politically correct" in a time when the Democratic Party plays the "french surrender monkey" to the race warlords and quota kings & queens out there.

Simply pathetic.

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[farmfriend]

Thanks for the insight.

[hchutch]

Yep. But whenever someone tries to reach out to those black and Hispanics who either get mistreated or who don't like the mistreatment, they get hit with "pandering" charges from the Suslov conservatives out there who don't seem to think twice about such things.

[AD from SpringBay]

Definite evidence of a glass ceiling in a Democratic world. I think the Democrats are all for diversity, just so long as they don't have to practice such. What's that line from Animal Farm . . . all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others?

Just don't expect Jesse Jackson to ride into town, you see there's no money to be made.

[pittsburgh gop guy]

"I do not particularly like Rendell and I did not vote for him. However, I don't believe that he is a rascist. He's a competent administrator and honest, at least to be a democrat."

Boy, have you been in the Philly media market too long!

Rendell is smart, and not the Pennsylvania hack Democrat of old. This much is true. But, his rep as a "competent administrator" is vastly overplayed. He is known for playing "hardball" with the philly municipal workers unions. Well, guess what, he did nothing spectacular, only reduced the bloated workers comp claims and hired competent police commissioners. Gee, any Republican would have done that - but would have gone further and actually reduced the number of people working for Philly city government (which he is always proud to point out that no city employees lost their jobs). Not to mention bring the workers comp costs in-line with the private sector, or even other governments, neither of which he did. He only reduced slightly an enormous mess that previous DEM administrations had allowed to get OUT OF CONTROL because they did not want to tick off the unions. And a good national economy really helped out municipal finanaces as well.

See how competent you think Rendell is when he wants to raise your taxes later this year. And guess where all that money will go? Philadelphia.

Not to say he will not do some common sense things (maybe), like privatize the state liquor stores. But he might even back down from that and cave to the unions.

Fast Eddie has gotten a free ride from the Philly media for too long. It may be the same with the state-wide media now, but I hope it is not the case.

http://www.newsmax.com/showinside.shtml?a=1999/11/1/232546

[tru_degenerate]

"She is a credible candidate; she is a woman; she is a minority. She should be granted the same respect as anyone else to present her credentials."

the first statement made is that she is a credible candidate it adds that on top of having the necessary credentials she is a woman and a black woman at that democrats are the party that are supposed to be for protecting peoples rights women fought for certain rights as did blacks the point is it seems as if the little meeting that was gathered was for a certain person or certain people to present their credentials the question is why is she not being considered if she has the credentials not why isn't she being considered because she is a black woman

[Question_Assumptions]

I would think that a truly Democratic process would demand an open process.

Free clue. The Democrats and Democracy don't mix. That's why they turn a blind eye to voter fraud, act as though public disclosure and reporting laws don't apply to them, and rely on non-democratic means such as executive orders, bureaucratic agencies, and the courts to implement their policies. It's also difficult to hand out favors to your patrons in the open, though a few even try that.

[mhking]

The Democrats and Democracy don't mix.

I like that one - is that swipeable? :)