10) Judicial temperament: In December 2007, at the Pennsylvania Society weekend festivities in New York City, Castille confronted Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer. “I told my staff if I got enough drinks and I saw you here I was gonna punch you right in the [expletive – the big one – deleted] nose,” he told Baer.
9) Luxury car: In 2010, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review documented that the PA Supreme Court allows judges and justices to lease luxury cars at taxpayer expense for up to $600 a month, even though state fleet vehicles cost just $230. The luxury cars included a Cadillac Castille leased for $582 per month plus $130 a month for insurance.
8) Gifts & golf: Mr. Castille routinely accepts gifts worth thousands of dollars from lawyers and law firms appearing before him as chief justice. They include paid trips to the Pennsylvania Society weekend at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, innumerable rounds of golf at some of the best golf courses in the nation, and air travel.
7) Political favoritism: On May 8, 2013, Castille wrote the opinion allowing unnecessarily gerrymandered legislative districts to take effect for the next eight years. In his opinion, Castille said, “…’political’ factors can operate at will – so long as they do not do violence to the constitutional restraints regarding population equality, contiguity, compactness, and respect for the integrity of political subdivisions.” (opinion at p. 45)
6) Family feud: Castille and fellow Justice Seamus McCaffery have been feuding because, among other things, McCaffery’s wife, a lawyer, works for McCaffery and has been receiving referral fees from law firms that have cases pending before the state Supreme Court. According to five independent legal experts, making such referrals constitutes the practice of law, which would require prior court approval – from her boss/husband, Justice McCaffrey – that she did not obtain. In one case that involved a juvenile required disclosure. The referral fee was $821,519.
5) Family Court Building: In 2010, Castille supervised a project to build a new Family Court building in Philadelphia. Without soliciting bids and without a contract, Castille spent $12 million before the deal was canceled. In the process, he worked with a golfing buddy who represented both the Supreme Court and the project’s developers, an arrangement for which the golfing buddy was later fired by the law firm where he worked. Castille then spent another $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the developers because the project had been canceled. All public money. The Philadelphia Inquirer called on Castille to resign as chief justice. He didn’t.
4) Traffic Court: In 2010, the FBI raided the Traffic Court. In 2011, the FBI raided the Traffic Court again. Finally in 2012, Castille woke up to the need for an investigation. The federal government – not state officials – charged nine current and former Traffic Court judges with ticket fixing and other crimes. The other justices on the Supreme Court finally removed Castille as supervisor of the Philadelphia courts in January.
3) Kids for Cash: Justice Castille got a petition to investigate Luzerne County in early 2008 – from the Juvenile Law Center, the state Attorney General, and the state Department of Public Welfare. Castille did nothing for nine months. When he did act, he dismissed the petition without explanation. Two weeks later, the federal government arrested the two judges.
2) Pay Raise Decision: In 2006 Castille’s authored the infamous Pay Raise decision. He noted that lawmakers’ 2005 late-night vote to give themselves pay raises was illegal but upheld judges’ pay raises. He did force the legislators to pay the money back.
1) Constitutional Age Limit: On November 5, the 69-year-old Castille seeks another 10-year term on the court, even though the PA Constitution mandates that judges must retire at age 70. Barring a change to the Constitution (or a Supreme Court ruling that declares the Constitution unconstitutional), Castille must retire on December 31, 2014.
Being able to serve one year of a 10-year term is just part of the overwhelming evidence that should convince voters to say “No!” to reelecting Castille.