YORK, Pa. — FOX43 has learned two senior judges from Dauphin County have been forced into early retirement after it was discovered they applied for federal CARES ACT unemployment compensation during COVID-19.
What's a Senior Judge? When a judge retires, they have the option to apply for senior status to be used when needed. Think of it like a substitute teacher's position, except senior judges already receive state-funded pensions for life, complete with full benefits and then payment on top of that for each case they work as a Senior Judge.
Senior Judges Jeannine Turgeon and Lawrence Clark, Jr. have decades of experience on the bench, but sources say they they will end their career following accusations they applied for the federal compensation, despite still receiving their pensions. Although not *illegal, when the State Supreme Court found out about it, they held a vote, and in a fairly rare move, the court decided to strip the judges of their senior status.
The State Supreme Court issued this statement saying in part, quote: "Because senior judge appointments are discretionary, the Court must weigh and balance the appropriateness of each appointment and consider all information that is provided to them. A majority of the court, with Justices Todd and Wecht dissenting, determined it was no longer appropriate for senior judges who sought pandemic unemployment benefits to continue their senior judge appointments." end quote.
SCOPA would not confirm that it was in fact Turgeon and Clark by name, however, Stacey Witalec, a spokesperson for the PA courts did confirm that the senior judges involved were from Dauphin County, which only has 2 senior judges. Turgeon and Clark will not lose their pensions or benefits. I did reach out to both judge's chambers for comment, but have not yet heard back.